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    Valkyrie
  • Valkyrie
    • Signature Author
  • 03/31/2020
  • 281 Words
  • 450 Views
  • 10 Comments
Poetry posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

NaPoWriMo 2020: Postcards from the Pandemic - 1. Preview - March 30-31st

I receive daily prompts from Jan Hutchinson. She wrote the prompts prior to the pandemic, so decided to add two additional prompts for the end of March that reflect on the current state of affairs.

Poem #1 March 30th

Today, I put a stuffed penguin in my kitchen window.

I read on social media about kids doing a ‘bear hunt’ to ease boredom.

I don’t have stuffed bears, but I do have stuffed penguins.

It was something to do for ten seconds.

I didn’t shower today because I did yesterday and I don’t smell.

Yet.

I’m wearing my red pajama bottoms from Christmas.

The ones with the reindeer with a bowtie around their neck and a wreath around their antlers.

I wonder what Christmas will be like this year? But first is Easter.

This year it will be celebrated with virtual egg hunts and sanitized chocolate bunnies.

Ham dinners will have to wait until our vulnerable are no longer at risk.

Now I’m sipping hot lemon ginger tea and looking at pictures of spring vacation from

Three years ago.

Wishing I was there now.

 

Poem #2 March 31, 2020

The plan for today was to get up early,

Shower,

Eat breakfast,

Run some errands,

Then start making ridiculous appointments for work.

What actually happened:

Slept in late

Played Candy Crush

Participated in a text exchange with co-workers.

No work accomplished, but I did get a pic of coffee with a bubble smiley face.

Which made me smile.

Punched in and checked my email.

Ate leftover soup for breakfast.

Sent some emails.

Took a shower.

Opened the curtains to let the sun, muted by clouds,

attempt to brighten my new work space.

Unfortunately it’s as dark as my mood.

Frustrated

Lost

Overwhelmed

Uplifted by watching a music video of my favorite song,

Performed by musicians from around the world.

United by a common enemy.

This is from the first prompt:
We are writing daily “Postcard Poems from the Pandemic.” These poems are only the length that would fit on a postcard. They are little messages to our future selves or to one another to remember our perceptions and feelings in this unprecedented time. Try some, and in them let any statements be offered up within a bouquet of sensory particulars.

I've decided to try and write a postcard daily, in addition to whatever other prompts or poems may surface in addition. Thanks, as always, to Aditus for being my rock and sounding board. Thanks to all for reading, and I'd love to hear thoughts about my postcards.
Copyright © 2020 Valkyrie; All Rights Reserved.
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Poetry posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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  • Site Administrator
Valkyrie
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21 hours ago, Headstall said:

Great work, Val. Left me kind of sad, though... but that comes with opening my eyes every morning and realizing it's another day of isolation. :(  Stay safe.  :hug: 

Thanks so much :hug: Navigating the new world we live in is not easy. I find writing these helps me sort through my emotions.  I hope they'll become brighter as the month progresses :hug: 

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  • Site Administrator
Valkyrie
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17 hours ago, Dodger said:

I love this. It portrays the frustrations and uncertainties we all have about a largely unknown enemy. They're beautiful to read, but I also hope you don't have to write too many of them, and there's a better ending than most people are expecting. 

I have the same hope.  Thanks for reading :hug:  

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Anton_Cloche
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April 1st, woke up after another bad dreams sleep desperately hoping that Covid19 was a demented April Fools Day joke. But shades of Groundhog Day (not a Bill Murray fan :-( sorry) it's still the new reality. (dream of winning Lotto also burst).

Then I came across Chapter 1 of your NaPoWriMo project. Kind of like Postcards From The Edge 2.0, but in this case it's the edge of what? Frustration, anger, anxiety, fear, depression (damn that list could go on forever). Don't even get me started on the CovIdiots who refuse to take this seriously. 

I look forward to your new daily writings, while digging deep -(when we were kids playing in the sand Mom would warn "if you keep digging you'll wind up in China". Does she know in Heaven?) - to find something, anything uplifting. 

A giggle for today: Karma for toilet paper hoarders is endless constipation.  

Stay well, stay safe. Smile, say "hello" and wave to people you see, especially children who can't grasp this. 

 

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Valkyrie
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9 minutes ago, Anton_Cloche said:

April 1st, woke up after another bad dreams sleep desperately hoping that Covid19 was a demented April Fools Day joke. But shades of Groundhog Day (not a Bill Murray fan 😞 sorry) it's still the new reality. (dream of winning Lotto also burst).

Then I came across Chapter 1 of your NaPoWriMo project. Kind of like Postcards From The Edge 2.0, but in this case it's the edge of what? Frustration, anger, anxiety, fear, depression (damn that list could go on forever). Don't even get me started on the CovIdiots who refuse to take this seriously. 

I look forward to your new daily writings, while digging deep -(when we were kids playing in the sand Mom would warn "if you keep digging you'll wind up in China". Does she know in Heaven?) - to find something, anything uplifting. 

A giggle for today: Karma for toilet paper hoarders is endless constipation.  

Stay well, stay safe. Smile, say "hello" and wave to people you see, especially children who can't grasp this. 

 

I had to stop and think for a minute, and remember what I posted, since your opening line for April 1st is eerily similar to what I wrote this morning.  :unsure: I'm glad you stopped by. You'll find a mixture of melancholy, despair, laughter, and hope in my offerings this month.  Going forward, I'll be posting every Sunday, including the poems I wrote for the week.  Thanks for joining me on this journey.  :hug: 

:rofl: At your giggle for the day.  :P 

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  • Site Administrator
Valkyrie
  • Site Administrator
7 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

Thanks for the look into your day, and your thinking. It's great to be able to share both, isn't it? I can imagine going through this in an unconnected, Internet-less world. Ain't pretty.

Thank you for reading :hug:  Yeah, I can't imagine going through this without a computer and the Internet.  It allows me to do my job and also keep connected with my friends.  

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