Cattitude and Gratitude

It's the last day of April and the final day of the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. Yay! I made it all the way through.  Since I like winging it and writing my post on the day it's due, I never know for sure if I'll complete it but I'm happy to say I did all 26 posts. Turn off Facebook and turn off the phone It’s time to get into the writing zone, I long to feel myself drift away And forget my troubles of the day, Getting in the zone is not that easy I even get a wee bit queasy, What if it’s garbage and sounds really bad? Wasting time always makes me mad, And then it happens, I’m in the zone My world takes on a different tone, Time stands still and I cease to hear All the sounds, both far and near, In the zone, I feel the bliss Like a lover’s magical kiss, The words start to flow,  I get them down fast Who knows how long the zone will last? It’s like nothing else I’ve ever known When I lose myself in the writing zone!

This poem was inspired by my own delightful experiences with menopause and nightly hot flashes and sleeplessness. So much fun! YAWN! Yolanda can’t stop yawning, no matter what she tries Sometimes she’s so tired, she breaks down and cries, She yawns reading a book and yawns when she talks, She yawns on the computer, she yawns on her walks, Yesterday she was yawning and today she is, too What’s a poor exhausted gal need to do? Her coffee habit has become an addiction But it still doesn’t cure her yawning affliction, Yolanda is fed up with yawning but can’t seem to quit Some days she’s so tired, she feels like s*** She screws up and forgets things, it can really get bad Annoying and embarrassing, it makes her so mad, She also gets nightmares that give her a fright She’s forgotten what it’s like to sleep at night, The day she feels rested, she’ll break out in song Until then, she’ll keep yawning all the day long. I am participating in the A to

“Get away from the window. They’ll see you,” my mother hissed as I stared at the moving van across the street. “Look! There’s a girl about my age,” I cried with excitement. Since I turned 12, my younger brother was even less appealing to hang out with and I longed for a girlfriend. “I’m going to invite her over.” “No, Anne! We don’t want you associating with them!” my father said, anger clouding his face. “Why?” I asked, confused. “They’re Muslims,” he said. “So, what difference does that make?” “They’re different from us. They don’t live the same way we do. I bet they don’t even speak English.” “That doesn’t bother me. I want to know more about them,” I insisted and opened the door. My father stepped into the doorway, blocking my path. “No. I don’t want you going over there and that’s final.” Our eyes met and he gave me one of his tough father looks. Finally I backed down and went to my room to do my homework. My parents were so fearful and narrowminded.

Sara stepped out of the shower and onto the scale. She frowned at the numbers that screamed out at her as if taunting her. Winter had not been kind to her weight. She pinched the extra rolls that jiggled around her stomach. It felt like an extra heavy sweater that she couldn’t remove. How Santa could be jolly with his little round belly was a mystery. Her stomach was just plain gross. Looking at her full length reflection in the mirror, she felt nauseous. Who was that middle-aged fat lady staring back at her? She peered into her closet wondering what to wear. All her summer clothes seemed to have shrunk while they’d been in there for the past six months. That was it. She would join the gym and start a diet right away this very minute. She peered into the fridge looking for some healthy fruit and vegetables to snack on. There wasn’t much to pick from, a few bruised apples and some limp celery. She would have to go grocery shopping. Then she spied some chocola

Even after this month of writing Creating verse is still exciting, I think in rhyme all the time Lying in bed or scrubbing grime, Putting out laundry or feeding the cat Rhymes appear, what’s up with that? But finding the right words to fit my verse Can sometimes be an annoying curse, Some words don’t work and need to go They mess up the verse and ruin the flow, Whether I’m at home or out on the town I keep my notebook to write verse down, Sometimes I’m wordy and sometimes I’m terse It’s hard to find balance for my verse, I’m well versed in verse and love to write Whether early in the morning or late at night! I am participating in the A to Z Challenge writing a blog post for every day in April, except Sundays.  http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ Here are my previous posts for the challenge: A is for  Andante or Allegro, which one are you? B is for  Beauty of Birds C is for My Favourite Words begin with C D is for  It's Still a Deligh

With many thanks to my Facebook friend, Megan Slattery who inspired this story this morning with her Facebook post about her wonderment at seeing a young couple walking along enjoying the spring day without being buried in their phones or having ear buds hanging out of their ears. Shauna hurried along, phone in hand, texting with her friend, Casey. She was late for French class once again. Her eyes never once left her phone as she  rushed across the pedestrian bridge. Suddenly she collided with someone and her phone flew out of her hand. She shrieked as she saw it go hurtling over the bridge and heard a splash. “Noooooooo!” she cried. . She turned and focused on the dazed girl sprawled on the ground next to her. “Are you okay?” Shauna asked, helping the girl to her feet. “I lost my phone!” the girl wailed. “Me, too,” Shauna said, trembling in panic. Both of them looked over the edge of the bridge to the murky depths of the river below. “This sucks,” the g

Thoughts By Cat Graham Thoughts bombard us all day long Like an annoying ear worm song, What do your thoughts have to say about you? Are they happy, angry, false or true? Thoughts affect how we act and feel How many of those thoughts are actually real? Thoughts are like a filter always sorting and sifting Changing, adjusting and constantly shifting I can’t, I’m a failure, I’m dumb and lazy Such negative thoughts can drive us crazy, Thoughts like these stop us in our tracks Give us headaches and panic attacks, Negative thoughts limit our ways of being Thinking positive can be so freeing, Why not try a little at a time? To make it less of an uphill climb, Take off that stupid negative thoughts sweater And sure enough, you’ll start to feel better! I am participating in the A to Z Challenge writing a blog post for every day in April, except Sundays.  http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ Here are my previous posts for the challenge:

For today's letter S challenge, I wrote a poem and made a collage with squirrel photos. No poem about squirrels would be complete without some photos of the little bast..er cuties. I am participating in the A to Z Challenge writing a blog post for every day in April, except Sundays.  http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ Here are my previous posts for the challenge: A is for  Andante or Allegro, which one are you? B is for  Beauty of Birds C is for My Favourite Words begin with C D is for  It's Still a Delightful Day! E is for  Elusive Eloise F is for  Forgive and Forget G is for  Guilt H is for  Holiday in your Head I is for  Introverts can have Impact and Influence J is for  Jack and Jill K is for  Katie the Klutz   L is for  Lollygagging M is for  Magical Moments N is for  Never Again   O is for  Object   P is for  Picture Perfect   Q is for  Q is a Quirky Letter   R is for  Romance