Author: Hanlod

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 106

Day 106: “Snow Falling”

Snow falling

Stops time

Makes everything beautiful

Gives me butterflies

Giddy

Fluttering butterflies

It brings me back to being a kid

Seeing my school district flash by on the news

No school!

Watching the snow fall

Blanketing the world

Taking sheet pans out to the driveway

Using them as makeshift sleds

Building an igloo in the plowed snow on the side of the road

Now I sit

Watching the snow fall

Feeling like a little kid

“It Could Happen to You” (Bonus Poem for Day 105)

Love is something that can happen anywhere

Anytime 

Like death 

You never know when it might come for you 

For me

It happened gradually

But the day it hit me

It was sudden 

Knowing 

Glowing 

“I love him” 

We were in my twin-sized bed in my junior year dorm

And he was talking about a nightmare he had the night before 

A boar was chasing him

And he was going on and on 

And then he got off on a tangent about a guy who he used to be friends with but wasn’t anymore

And as he talked and talked and talked

It dawned on me,

“I love this man” 

It wasn’t a, “I think I love him”

It was a full-blown, all-knowing love 

My heart swelled and soared 

“I love him”

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 104

Day 104: “The Meaning of Life”

When I was a kid

I had an epiphany

And wrote it on my stick-on chalkboard wallpaper on my bright aqua wall

“Is this what you want your life to mean?”

I had this epiphany while I was watching Grey’s Anatomy

And Dr. Richard Webber was talking

Hell, maybe he even said it

But I just know that it hit me

In a booming voice

If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was God

And I didn’t know better then

So I kinda thought it was

But it hit me because I was watching tv a lot

(Something I love doing)

And laying in bed a lot

(Something else I love doing)

But I wasn’t doing anything else

There was no balance

This came back up for me recently

What do I want my life to mean?

I sure as hell want to be relaxed watching tv

But I also want to follow my passions

Feed my soul

Be aligned with my future

Feel energized

I want balance

I want to grow

I want my life to mean a lot

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 103

Day 103: “Cheap Rings”

When we were at my grandparents house

going through their things

I found their 25-year wedding anniversary book

It was frilly and white

With a padded heart on the front

White ruffles

And lace

Plastic pearls

A product of the late 1970s

What caught my eye

were these two rings

They might be made of metal

Whatever it is is lightweight, thin

They were together on the aforementioned string of pearls

We had to get rid of things

But I couldn’t stop thinking about those rings

Before the book, in all its vintage bridal glory, was thrown out

I cut the string and grabbed the rings

For a while I wore one on each ring finger

They’re really pretty

Silver

With floral markings “engraved”

And “HONG KONG” written on the inside of the bands

The signature of only the most expensive jewelry

But they don’t turn my fingers green

I lost one of them

It fell behind the fridge at my old apartment

I was really upset

Felt like I lost my grandparents for a second time

But I keep the other close

Wear it often

Mostly on my left ring finger

To summon the love of my grandma

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 102

Day 102: “Manifesting Snow”

I used to sleep with a spoon under my pillow

To make it snow

That might sound crazy

But I read online that it would work

And I really didn’t want school the next day

Snow is magical

Watching the school districts scroll by on the TV

Sparta

Spokane

Strafford

Always the smaller districts close first

The hours tick by and I really should be in bed if there’s gonna be school tomorrow

So I take a spoon

And I think it had to be cold

So I put it in the freezer for a bit

Take it out

And put it under my pillow

I check the listings one more time

Still nothing

Then go to bed hoping, praying

I wake up late

Check the time

I’m gonna be late!

When my mom hears me up,

she comes in to tell me that she let me sleep in

because school is cancelled!

I rush out my door to peek out the back doors

There’s a blanket of snow covering everything,

And it’s still coming down

I jump and scream and laugh and smile

I love snow

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 101

Day 101: “Smiling on the Street”

I’m a lot nicer

When I’m visiting places for work

I smile more

Say hi to everyone

Want to make everyone feel welcome

Even when I leave the building

I’m smiling on the street

Warm and welcoming

It honestly feels good

I feel connection

Why am I not like that regularly?

Fear that a smile might invite something unwanted

Not wanting a rude reaction

Not getting paid to do so

And honestly, it can be a bit exhausting, interacting with everyone I cross paths with

Trying to smile and make others feel comfortable

Sometimes I just want to look forward, avoid eye contact

It’s less energy, safer

But maybe there’s space for both

A Poem a Day: a Series – Day 100

Day 100: “100”

Today I hit a milestone

I’ve been reaching for

100 days of poems

Not consecutively, but that wasn’t my goal

My goal was to not get stuck in the black and white

The 0 to 100

The writing out of obligation

I wanted to write when I felt inspired

When I wanted to

Not because I had to to meet a quota

In that time

Those 100 days

I’m at a place now where I want to try to write daily

Not obligated to

But I want to try new things

I want to write about feelings

And situations

And songs

And movies

And my passions

It’s fun

I feel proud

Brave

Strong

Aligned

Loud

Excited

Cheers to 100 poems

And whatever the future holds