april pameticky

Prompt #3: Parenthood

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by

AprilinWichita
in
April is National Poetry Month.  For fun, and in honor of great poetry the world over, I’ll provide a writing prompt each day.  Feel free to respond to the prompt, or ignore it if it doesn’t suit you.  The goal here is to write a little every day, if for no other reason than to experience the joy of writing.  I imagine that not every prompt will inspire a full poem, but like Natalie Goldberg espouses, we’re going to write for the practice of writing. 
 
If you would like, you may email your responses directly to me at aprilpameticky@hotmail.com, or leave your efforts in the comment section below each day’s prompt.  I would be happy to share work and links back to bloggers and poets that have decided to participate.
 
Many of you may already have a poem or piece that fits the prompt, but try to write and share something new.  Flex muscles.  Write.  You can always revise later.

Prompt #3: Parenthood

Motherhood has been the most significant moment of my life, but it was something I dreamed of long before I was ever pregnant. Having said that, I have a number of friends that NEVER want to be parents, and I can respect that desire.  Write a poem about your own feelings on the subject.

And just for fun… my poem, while not new, did inspire the prompt:
(I am hoping to write a new one for today’s prompt)

“She Sleeps”
I am  not afraid of the dark,
but fear silence too long still.
I reach out in the night,
across cool cotton sheets,
check her tiny, sleeping form
a half-dozen times. If she is
quiet beyond my inhale, my
breath stops, my heart tripping.
I stroke her to a mild whimper
just to be sure that she lives
beyond today, maybe to be a
prom date, or a graduate student,
or a mother in her own right.
I think of my mother lying still
and listening with her whole body
for a tiny mew in the darkness.

To visit that previous post: https://aprilpameticky.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/she-sleeps/

Comments

3 responses to “Prompt #3: Parenthood”

  1. cricketmuse Avatar
    cricketmuse

    New parent sleepless nights
    Leave dark circles and frayed nerves
    Yet that angel face full of innocence captivates me
    Sleep, baby, sleep
    Sweet baby, sweet

    Reply
    1. AprilinWichita Avatar
      AprilinWichita

      What an absolutely lovely sentiment, one I have definitely felt myself. Well done.

      Reply
  2. Jodi Pyle Avatar
    Jodi Pyle

    Cuddling the babies with their sweet softness is expected,
    reward for all the sleepless nights and mind-numbingly repetitive tasks,

    You’ve heard it a thousand times, “It goes by so fast, enjoy every moment”
    usually said to you by some middle-aged woman
    who also has sleepless nights but not the cuddling,

    her babies grown and off on their own or nearly,
    they’re staying out late experiencing all the world has to offer, good and bad,
    she reminds them “don’t drink and drive, actually don’t drink at all”,
    they roll their eyes, not able to get out the door fast enough,

    and then there’s the road trips, going to visit colleges,
    finding the place for them to move away
    and never be back like they were before,

    no more day-to-day nagging,
    occasional hugging,
    soul-searching talking,
    being involved in their life in an integral way,

    forgive her for throwing those cliched words at you,
    as she fights back tears of memory.

    Reply

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