#octpowrimo poems on Hello Poetry

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

It is finished.

A journey of sharing
is over.
I do not know how
to deal with this.

From the excitement of early morn,
being prompted to write,
to the wonderment of late evening,
seeing how many actually read
my work.

It is finished.

A truly heady experience,
emotions ran rampant
for 31 days.

I gave you my heart
on a readable platter,
my soul was visible
to all who cared to see it.

It is finished.

Never have I written
so much poetry,
rarely have I had
such a feeling of
accomplishment.

I am a blessed man
to have met
so many
great poets,
great writers
better people.

It is finished.

Time to breathe,
time to relax.
For in the big scheme of things,
it has just begun.

Dear reader, it is a bittersweet day. Today marks the end of #OctPoWriMo. I can honestly say that I am a bit sad about this. Every day for the past 31 days, I have written a poem based on a prompt from one of our wonderful organizers. Every day I have pushed myself. Somedays it came easy, some days I struggled mightily. But, I did it. And I am proud of it. I probably wrote close to 40 poems in the past 31 days. Knowing what I have done serves as motivation for what I need to do...I need to write. It's in my blood.

Thank you to the organizers and prompters for taking us on this fantastic journey of poetry. Julie, Morgan, Amy and Tamara...thank you. If I missed one someone, I apologize and offer you a special thank you as well.

Thank you to all the poets who contributed their poetry. Reading your work gave me so much inspiration. I have made new friends, and for that I am grateful. Also thank you to all those who read my work. I am humbled that little ol' me could write something that so many enjoyed. I hope our journey together doesn't end here.

And that, dear reader, brings us to my final poem of #OctPoWriMo2014. As the tears fall from my eyes, and as my heart beats a little bit faster, let me say that it is finished.

Rod E. Kok
October 31, 2014

#poetry #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Passing Years

The years are passing by.

Without fail, we watch
a timeless passage into
tomorrow.

Daily I pray for
our love to remain
strong.

Without fail, we make
mistakes, causing hurt
grief
sorrow.

We forgive.
We forget.

Time moves on,
and we grow
together.
Passion does not fade,
our own brand of romance
keeps our hearts warm.

Without fail, I realize
the truth.
If not for you,
there is no me.

All that I am
is for you,
because of you.

The years are passing by,
and we are watching
their passage.

Hand in hand,
in love.
Together forever.

Good morning, dear reader. The prompt for day 29 of #OctPoWriMo is love and relationships. We were given a pretty broad field to play in, and I chose the one that comes naturally to me. My poem today is for my dear wife, my best friend. The line in this poem that is my favorite is 'If not for you, there is no me'. What is your favorite?

Rod E. Kok
October 29, 2014

#love #time #relationship #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Alone in the Dark

You have left me alone,
surrounded by darkness,
my heart starts pounding,
my breath quickens,
palms slick with sweat.

I am cold...so cold.

A hair falls from my head,
hitting the floor,
a booming thud.

My old grandfathers clock
calls out time,
midnight has struck
a fearful chord deep
in my soul.

In my bed
there is no warm place
for me to hide…
you are away
(only for a short time).
Please come home,
so I can sleep.

Mysterious footsteps echo
down empty hallways
of our deserted home.
I am alone…
alone with whoever
(or whatever)
lurks in the shadows.

Unreasonable fear
pervades my being,
I wait for dawn.

Waiting for light,
my mind plays tricks.
I cannot sleep,
mysterious sounds whisper
thunderclaps in my room.

Please come home,
so I can sleep.

Please….
come home.

Dear reader, day 26 of #OctPoWriMo has us confronting our fears, writing about what scares us. There are many things I fear. I fear rejection by my peers, by the poetic community, by friends. I fear things that I simply will not share with anyone but my wife, I fear stubbing my toes (a curse of big feet). I have serious fears, debilitating fears and silly fears. And it is the silly fear that I am writing about today.

Once in a while, my wife and kids will go to spend a few days with her parents, and I am left alone at home. I hate it. I hate every moment of an empty house. I especially hate the nights. Will you laugh at this piece, or rather, laugh at me for this piece? Possibly. I don't fear that, for I am writing this in the light. And my wife and kids are by my side. Please enjoy.

Rod E. Kok
October 26, 2014

#fear #alone #afraidofthedark #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

The Purple City

Dark shadows drew us in,
we hid in quiet privacy.

There was no hurry
to forge this perfect
embrace,
we would not rush
our hearts desire.

Somehow this was different.

Chaste hugs of the past
grew into
this moment.

Our feelings developed,
slowly we became
more than friends.

Finally it happened,
our first kiss,
with only the rain
serving as witness.

As the purple city surrounded us,
we gave in.
Our breath mingled,
seemingly time stood still,
and it truly was
magic.

Happy Saturday, dear reader. Today is the 25th day of #OctPoWriMo, and the prompt is 'magic'. I used this opportunity to tell of a life event, a magical event. For the readers who have seen the purple city (and I suspect there are few), it will evoke images of a wonderful setting. For everyone else, do a google search for 'edmonton purple city' and follow the gigcity link to understand what I am referring to. I hope you enjoy this poem, and maybe you'll be inspired to find your own purple city, and create memories that last a lifetime.

Rod E. Kok
October 25, 2014

#love #firstkiss #octpowrimo #purplecity

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

My Very Own Reality

My painting is colored
with words.
Shapes of emotion,
caressed into pictures
of passionate love,
become my personal
Picasso.

I wear a cloak
held together by
the thinnest thread,
barely keeping me warm.
Yet I will write a fire
into my heart,
surrounding me with
life-giving heat.

My blood flows
from fingers performing
a dance, staining the page
with smooth routines,
gracefully conveying
a message of hope.

My mind spurs me on,
to achieve heights
of creativity
never before seen.

My soul is laid bare,
knowing that every word I bleed
is my very own
reality.

Good morning, dear reader. When I received the prompt for our October 24 poem, I was as un-inspired as I'd been in a while. I really had no idea where to go with it, and seriously considered avoiding it completely and posting an un-related piece. But, in the words of a new acquaintance and fellow poet, inspiration is fickle but is rarely unfaithful.

The prompt we were given was based on 4 different reality TV shows. I freely admit that I don't watch any of them. So, rather than being inspired by the actual shows themselves (the letter of the prompt), I created my poem from the premise of the shows (the spirit of the prompt). Our prompt TV shows are 'So You Think You Can Dance', 'Project Runway', 'FaceOff', and 'Ink Master'. I have never heard of 2 out of the 4. Our prompt words are 'Make-up', 'Tattoo', 'Dance', and 'Fashion'.

In the end, I was inspired. I hope you enjoy this poem.

Rod E. Kok
October 24, 2014

#reality #spilledink #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Nothing Got Started

I can do anything
I can do nothing
nothing is easy
nothing is hard
hard to be impulsive
hard to be encouraged
encouraged to write
encouraged to live
live to tell the story
live to dream
dream of love
dream of you
you are everything
you are my rock
rock on the ground
rock and roll
roll with the punches
roll in a circle
circle of life
circle of light
light from the sun
light from the moon
moon in the sky
moon is full
full of adventure
full of hope
hope to succeed
hope to be happy
happy with you
happy with me
me and my fears
me and my words
words that rhyme
words of passion
passion for love
passion for work
work at school
work at home
home sweet home
homeward bound
bound with chains
bound for the end
end of this blitz
end of the day
day is over
day has started
started to write
started to smile
smile
write

Hello dear reader. Today, I decided to go in a different direction than I've ever gone. I am branching out, and trying a new poetry form. It is called a poetry blitz. The blitz is meant to be read quickly, leaving yourself only time to breathe. As I read more of these over the course of #OctPoWriMo, I have found that I really enjoyed them. That was my motivation to try. I did try to include some of the word prompts / feeling prompts we were given.

Rod E. Kok
October 22, 2014

#poetry #octpowrimo #blitzpoem

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Hands and Feet

Put your hand in mine
I whispered to
my newborn son
I’ll try to keep you
safe and warm

Put your hand in mine,
together we will fight.

Let me carry you, my boy
for your feet are weary,
even though they have never
carried a load.

Lend me your hand,
dear Michael,
for once you are gone,
I will see your prints
on my heart.

Walk with me
in memory,
dear child.
For someday,
we will walk
together.

Put your hand in mine,
and bid us farewell.

Lay quiet, my baby boy
Jesus will take you
home.

It is very sad that I am unable to post pictures to accompany my poem. To see the picture that really enforces this piece, please visit my website www.rodkok.ca and read Hands and Feet

#poetry #loss #child #octpowrimo #handprints

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

She is Enough

In this world that is pressed
for deadlines,
I seem to march
at my very own pace.

Sit back in comfort
my favorite café
providing a perfect setting
for creating a world
out of random words.

softly
gently

murmured voices
speak in a way
only a poet
will understand.

I will write my muse,
sharing myself with those
who care to listen.

as my hot coffee
cools down,
my thoughts turn
to the one I love.

She has never known
how enough she is,
for proper words
have always failed me.

And so I write
my words for her.

For when my time has come,
let it be said
'he finally told her,
better late than never'

Day 20, dear reader, brings us a prompt of 'better late than never'. Once again, I wrote 3 poems on this prompt. One of them is a light-hearted view of my day at work, the 2nd is one that needs a lot of work, and the 3rd is the one I am sharing with you. Although it may not fit the spirit of the prompt, it really is better late than never. Please enjoy.

Rod E. Kok
October 20, 2014

#poetry #lovepoetry #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

My Take on Fairytales

I don't believe in fairytales
it's really not my thing,
I've never told my children tales
of dragons and of kings.

We’ve watched some shows
on the T.V
of Rubbles and the Stones,
we watched them drive around their cars
of ***** rocks and bones.

I’ve read them poems
of ancient deeds,
they rode a trojan horse.
Those bards of old
could tell a tale,
words of truth of course.

We’ve sung our songs
of buses wheels,
and Irish unicorns,
but now we hear
the beating drum
marching until morn.

I don’t believe in fairytales,
it’s really not my thing,
I will not teach them, I’m too prim
they really are quite Grimm.

Hello dear reader, today's prompt for #OctPoWriMo is 'once upon a time' and 'happily ever after'. That's right, we are delving into the world of fairytales. Nothing about my work in the past has indicated fairytales, but I really stepped outside my comfort zone on this one. I think this one is fun, whimsical, and downright playful. And it rhymes. Go figure.

Rod E. Kok
October 16, 2014

#poetry #rhyming #fairytales #amwriting #octpowrimo

Rod E Kok Oct 2014

Making it Work

Nothing was obvious,
nobody guessed.

Oil mixing with water
was not what
anyone looked for.

We were overlooked.

What was the attraction?
We are so different.

We’ve made it work,
meeting halfway on issues
that affect us both.

Neither hesitant nor receptive,
rather a calm acceptance of
meeting in the middle.

Thus we carry on,
apples and oranges
sweet and sour.

We meet halfway,
working hard to preserve
love and passion,
dedicating today
to improving
tomorrow.

Today is the halfway point of #OctPoWriMo, and it also marks the day I truly struggled to write something decent. Writing this piece was a labor of dedication, and if I hadn't promised myself to do 31 poems in 31 days, I probably would have given up, at least for the day. And so, perseverance is the parent of this poem. Please enjoy.

Rod E. Kok
October 15, 2014

#love #relationships #octpowrimo