Write about:

Write about sunshine and mesquite trees heavy with pollen blooms.
Write about plants rooting in new soil.
Write about stars in the western sky popping out of the dusk darkness.

Write about baseball, its rhythms and ballet moves on the mound and infield.
Write about the crack of a bat from the powerful left hander.
Write about kids snacking on ice cream with dad wiping their faces with his t-shirt sleeve.

Write about stories--the bedtime mystery, the afternoon on the patio Irish tales of women gone wrong.
Write about stories--dragons in the sky, Indiana Jones taking a step across the chasm.
Write about stories--fairy tales and Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and Bible passages.

Write about what is elusive: joy, bliss, peace of mind, quietude--
until I write about all of it.

Two "Reset" Poems

(from Writer’s Digest December prompts) 12.3.16 by acfonte

Reset Uno

Nothing is quite right today. It started with the porch light blinking in the dark—

A response to a feral cat, blustery breeze or errant footsteps?

Unsettling, my dreams were dotted with

Faces from the ashen past, names from an afternoon movie.

In the morning, my toast burned.  I put too much water in the plant pot

And water spilled to the concrete floor.

At the gym, as I bicycled in place,

My muscles trembled and heart fluttered.

Then, at the café,

My sample coffee was too sweet,

The room temperature shifted from heat to ac and back again,

My orange sweater was tight.

Finally, I laughed at the poetry prompt to “reset.”

Okay, so I have.

Can I get off that bicycle now?

Ovillejo: Reset Deux (a Spanish poetry form)

How can I stop trembling in place?

It takes less space.

I practice my balance with care,

Arms high in air.

Like a cactus of certain age,

Nature’s green sage.

She offers me another stage

Where fear is quiet and hope is high,

So I grab hold as faith flies by—

It takes less space, arms high in air, Nature’s green sage.

Hula and Happiness

Almost a month ago, I had my first (but hopefully, not my last) hula lesson at the Royal Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.  My hula teacher, Sharise Dudoit #mauihulawahini, has been performing since the age of 12.  She still looks that young to me, but she is mom to three, performing, teaching and giving the gift of happiness through hula.  Here is the short video she captured on my phone after we had rehearsed the dance for about 20 minutes. Before that, she gave me by tea leaf lei, which I still have in my office, and showed me how to make my rosette out of plumeria blossoms.  I learned more than how to dance the hula that day--I also learned how important Nature and its elements connect to the dance--and, most importantly, I made a new friend.  Mahalo (thank you), Sharise.

https://www.facebook.com/anita.fonte.7/videos/10154396837188615/?l=7909234843506875410