Tag: Rainbow Warrior

Weaving a Golden Web

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A golden orb weaver has moved into a corner of my front verandah and seems quite at home there. She looks as if she has no intentions of ever moving away. Though surely a gift from the universe, if any of you have ever seen this spider, you know that she can be a bit daunting!

According to one website, a group of writers and entymologists who created it out of a labor of love, the golden orb weaver is a “fascinating spider known for its intricate, large webs that shimmer like gold in the sunlight.”

Spider Woman Goddess, Susan Seddon Boulet

(By the way, if you visit, what’sthatbug.com, be sure to click on the ads which, they explain, help to “generate revenue to pay for hosting, expert entomologists, and bandwidth costs when visitors click on ads on our site.”)

So, alleviating any fears I may have of the amazing golden orb weaver, the information from these entomologists is of interest: “orbweaver spiders are generally non-threatening creatures that pose little risk to humans.” I have noticed that this very large spider is completely oblivious to my presence even when I am watering my porch plants nearby. Whatsthatbug.com continues its “interaction with humans” details: “Their venomous bites are usually harmless, and they exhibit docile behavior in their natural habitats.” For sure, I will not be putting my hand into the web and the Golden Orb Weaver is a very busy spider! She has no time for the likes of me. So, I turn to my usual approach, the symbolism of this “animal spirit.”

Jamie Sams & David Carson in The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals, a guide that accompanies my deck of medicine cards (Bear & Company, Santa Fe, NM), says: “Spider is the female energy of the creative force that weaves the beautiful designs of life.. .If Spider has dropped into your cards (or life, my italics), she may be telling you to create, create, create.”

Spider Woman, popular culture notwithstanding, has been a powerful symbol in some American Indian cultures (Navaho & Hopi), for example, “Spider Woman represented wisdom and education,” according to encyclopedia.com. She is associated with crops, weaving and the goddess as “a symbol of the ability to weave and to create something from one’s own body, just as a spider makes silk” (encyclopedia.com).

Susan Seddon Boulet created a powerful image of spiderwoman goddess.
Image credit: https://arthive.com/artists/10191~Susan_Seddon_Boulet/works/284690~Shaman_Spiderwoman

So, what does my symbol tell me today? Create, create, create & remember the sheer wonder of our world!

Golden Orb Weaver Spider

And, dear readers, I will end with a poem from my book Peering Into the Iris: An Ancestral Journey, that tells a story of my ancestors & their weaving.

Poem & Image by poet, Jacquelyn Markham

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Jacquelyn is always available for readings and mentoring poets and writers. If you want to chat about poetry, books, or creativity, don’t hesitate to reach out, make a comment, or send an email to: jacquiepoet3@gmail.com

Gladioli from my Garden Against “Abstract Marsh”

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(Acrylic on stretched canvas, painted by the author on retreat at Penn Center, St. Helena, SC, ca. 2003)

The continuity of art reveals itself more each year.  Images, colors, and themes recur in our writing, painting, photography, cooking, and gardening.  So, by chance, when I cut the gladioli from my June garden and placed it in a vase, it gravitated to a painting on my wall.  So many times, I have seen in nature like attracts like, for example, yellow butterflies light on yellow flowers.

But, back to the continuity of art.  Even in cooking, for example, I have sour dough starter in my refrigerator right now, a baking theme from many years ago when sour dough enjoyed another popularity trend. So, when I was baking bread a week or so ago, I pulled out a poem titled “Bread-Baking” from my collection Lavender Blooms Turn Eggplant Purple (there’s that recurring color!) After some searching, I found the poem and revised it. I’ll share some lines with you here.

Thinking the bread-baking might restore

the home my vagabond dreams threaten,

I set the yeast & the flour in action.

Fingers knead the dough,

punch, pull, stretch until

finally, I shape a smooth loaf,

place it in the bowl,

cover with clean linen.

Time now for its rising.

I wonder as I rest,

steaming tea to my lips,

leaves rustling outside the window,

how yeast turns flour to bread &

what leaven would so wonderfully

transform the early days

into sustenance for the soul?

Jacquelyn Markham (excerpt Bread-Baking)

And, now, it’s June and in my region along with the stunning purple & wine gladioli, we enjoy the abundance of vegetable gardens. So, the other day, I relived another poem, from another time, “Today This Jar of Pickles is My Poem.” This poem became the title poem of a chapbook of the same name that placed as a finalist in a chapbook contest sponsored by what was then Armstrong State College in Savannah (now Georgia Southern University).

from the poem:

I struggle with domesticity

as I sterilize jars, clear

pack fresh cucumbers, garlic

sharp smelling dill

breathe steaming vinegar

vapor that unclouds the brain

Lids bounce in boiling water

I fish for one and quickly seal

each jar, this could be a poem

each jar, this a painting

each jar, I question

and justify

 . . .

On gray winter days

sculptures in glass on my shelf

green peppers and cayennes twist in to form

zucchinis and crookneck yellows

wind, curve around each other

speckled beans, mosaics

I take down jar after jar

chill or heat the colors

shapes, lines

patterns that turn to food and are eaten

Jacquelyn Markham

            (excerpt from “Today This Jar of Pickles is My Poem”)

So, today, look around you.  Do you see the continuity of art around you? And, the continuity of  your life?

Jacquelyn~ aka Poet Voice

“Deep Purple,” a song that keeps coming back around

Day 29: I envy you your swiftness

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painting of Mercury by John Woodrow Kelley

Hello poets & lovers of poetry! The penultimate day of our April 2024 poem-a-day challenge has arrived! For this day 29, the prompt asked us as to use as inspiration one of the ten most-used words of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (really!) in her song lyrics. Her new album Tortured Poets Department hopefully doesn’t represent how we poets feel on Day 29 of the challenge, but we could use some of her publicity!

See the complete prompt from Maureen Thorson’s Napowrimo.net below the poem for more details. I must confess that my use of swift, swiftness, and swiftly was strictly coincidental! After all, I was writing about Mercury!

I envy you your swiftness

If only I were more like you, Mercury.

If only I were more mercurial—in the good sense,

quick-witted, sprightly, clever & ingenious.

Not temperamental, fickle or inconstant,

but swift with missives from the gods!

You wear sandals & a cap with wings

to propel you with a speed that others envy.

Like the planet that bears your name,

you travel lightning fast even escaping

Copernicus by traveling swiftly in the dark!

Not like a tree, rooted in earth,

not like a river running deep & slow,

not like me. I crawl like a caterpillar, a snail,

a turtle from the sea.  My mood sets in like

an overcast day when clouds don’t lift

until the sun burns through near sunset.

Oh, Mercury, though you be the god of tricksters

and thievery, and though the slow and steady

win the race, I envy you your swiftness!

            Jacquelyn Markham 4/29/2024

The Prompt:

From Napowrimo.net: “And now for our optional prompt. If you’ve been paying attention to pop-music news over the past couple of weeks, you may know that Taylor Swift has released a new double album titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” In recognition of this occasion, Merriam-Webster put together a list of ten words from Taylor Swift songs. We hope you don’t find this too torturous yourself, but we’d like to challenge you to select one these words, and write a poem that uses the word as its title.”

Jacquelyn Markham, poet & writer, author of Rainbow Warrior, Finishing Line Press (2023), Peering Into the Iris: An Ancestral Journey and China Baby, among other titles.

Day 28 Amaryllis Pulse: A Sijo

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Happy Sunday everyone! Be good to your muse today! She has been very busy and mostly faithful!

After today’s Sijo, only two more days of the poem-a-day challenge. We are almost there!

Today’s poem is an adventure in counting syllables! And a learning experience.

Mine has 47 syllables, the lines are 16, 16, & 15. This traditional Korean verse form usually has three lines of 14-16 syllables, so I’m within the range. (It is pronounced SHEE-jo.) It’s a little more complicated than just the syllables, so check it out, if you want to know more. I found an excellent guide from Koreanquartly.org—A basic guide to writing sijo, in case you want to try writing one.

The Prompt behind the Poem:

Napowrimo.net: Finally, our optional prompt for the day asks you to try your hand at writing a sijo. This is a traditional Korean verse form. A sijo has three lines of 14-16 syllables. The first line introduces the poem’s theme, the second discusses it, and the third line, which is divided into two sentences or clauses, ends the poem – usually with some kind of twist or surprise.

You could also write a sijo in six lines – at least when it comes to translating classical sijo into English, translators seem to have developed this habit, as you can see from these translations of poems by Jong Mong-Ju and U Tak.

Take a look at this energetic group of women, HerBeat, playing traditional Korean drums! What a pulse of energy like the Amaryllis!!

HerBeat, Korean Women Drummers

Poet, writer, painter, and player of music, I love to express myself and invite your visits and comments to my site. Jacquelyn View all posts by Poet Voice

Day 26 Tango haiku & Be Brave cinquain

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Greetings poets & lovers of poetry!

Today’s prompt guided us poets to use several poetic sound techniques—alliteration, consonance, and assonance.  I added to that a couple of small poetic forms: the haiku (3 lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables) and the cinquain (5 lines of 2,4,6,8,2 syllables). Fun!

The Prompt from Napowrimo.net: “And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that involves alliteration, consonance, and assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of a particular consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds elsewhere in multiple words, and assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Traci Brimhall’s poem “A Group of Moths” provides a great example of these poetic devices at work, with each line playing with different sounds that seem to move the poem along on a sonorous wave.”

Tango Till: Haiku

Mango, mango, will

you do the tango till dawn?

Tango me all night.

            Jacquelyn Markham 4/26/24

Be Brave: Cinquain

O blue

melancholy

mood melancholy me

sun sparks diamonds on blue river

be brave.

            Jacquelyn Markham 4/26/24

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Day 23  Grandma K. Saves the Day

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Check out the details of the prompt from Napowrimo.net here: The summary: “Poem about or involving a superhero.”

With the full moon in Scorpio rising, today/tonight was full as well, so I’m a bit late today.

As far as the prompt, most superheroes in popular culture (including the women) target male demographics, so I haven’t been a big fan, but my superheroine comes in a different form–my Polish Grandma and here she is starring in my poem for Day 23.

Grandma K, my Polish Grandma, poet photo

Grandma K. Saves the Day

Batman, Superman, Catwoman,

Batwoman, Supergirl, Spiderman,

Wonder Woman!

None compare to my Superheroine

Polish Grandma K!

Strength, courage, skill & daring

of superheros times ten!

Born in 1896 to parents just arrived

from Poland on a ship to work

in salt mines & on a dirt poor farm.

Superwoman Grandma, a beautiful

young woman, found a job doing

linens, organdy & lace

for fancy ladies in the nearby town

where she met a handsome man

who wooed her & became his wife.

He traveled to Chicago and Milwaukee

and she stayed home to raise the one,

two, three, four, five babies that she had,

number six still in the womb when he “disappeared.”

Now, that’s another story.

The heroine Grandma K always looked as

fresh as the linens she ironed for her ladies.

The children did as well.  When the elders failed,

she sold the trees from off the farm

to keep the land their own,

she cared for elders, sick, and young

with six at home and worked in the

cherry factory.  She waitressed at the new hotel.

Thankful for her life, she recited Polish prayers

for the poor, not knowing she was the one

who received the blessings.

Step down, Wonder Woman,

Grandma K saves the day!

Jacquelyn Markham 4/23/2024

Jacquelyn Markham, poet & writer, author of Rainbow Warrior, Finishing Line Press (2023), Peering Into the Iris: An Ancestral Journey and China Baby, among other titles.

Day 22 Insomniac Fights Sleep

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The prompt for Day 22 from Napowrimo.net: “The idea is to write a poem in which two things have a fight. Two very unlikely things, if you can manage it.” After much thought and deliberation (and loss of sleep), I chose the insomniac fighting sleep!

Insomniac Fights Sleep

The pillow hot,/On both sides/…Haven’t

Slept all night, too late/To dream of sleep. . . (Anna Akhmatova)

Sleep Speaks:

I am so peaceful

I am so kind

I am so healing

Why do you flight me?

Insomniac Speaks:

Oh, I can’t surrender

I have so many thoughts

competing for space in my mind

and some to worry about!

I might miss something

If I go to sleep. I must win &

keep my eyes open!

Sleep Speaks:

Insomniac, close your eyes.

Breathe deeply, surrender.

I demand it!

Insomniac Speaks:

No! No! I must get out of bed,

drink a cup of chamomile,

find my pen & journal,

write this idea I have for a poem!

Sleep Speaks:

Surrender, sleep my poet, sleep.

Insomnia Speaks:

I am counting backwards now.

100 breathe in

99 breathe out

98 breathe in

97 breath out

96 . . .

Sleep Speaks:

Surrender, my little one,

Sleep coos to the counting insomniac.

Insomniac Speaks:

Is that daylight I see on the blind?

I really can’t surrender.

            Jacquelyn Markham 4/22/2024

Day 21 Adoration for Fuchsia

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Responding to today’s prompt from Napowrimo.net to write a poem that repeats or focuses on a single color, so here it is!

Adoration for Fuchsia

A giant tube of magenta & one of rose

pigment feed my adoration for Fuchsia.

Pile it thick on canvas, mix in company of

red, pink, & purple & contrast loud

Fuchsia with yellow, backdrop

for self-portrait or sunflowers.

detail from painting by poet

Fuchsia blossoms in folds, flutter

in the California breeze, cliffs of fuchsia,

flowers falling over planters, winging

from balconies, clinging to fences, pots & trees.

Fuchsia everywhere in the California sun

floods my mind with memories—

rocky moonstone beaches, daring Big Sur journeys,

tide pool, museum & music excursions,

even poolside in your backyard,

drinks and moonlight swims,

sharing secrets in the night, only

Fuchsia knows now that you are gone.

Jacquelyn Markham (4/21/2024)

Day 20 Tobago oil spill reaches Bonaire

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Bonaire Island in the Carribean (image courtesy of keycaribe.com)

Napowrimo.net Prompt: “Our optional prompt for the day challenges you to write a poem that recounts a historical event. In writing your poem, you could draw on your memory, encyclopedias, history books, or primary documents.”

The Poem:

TOBAGO OIL SPILL REACHES BONAIRE,

the headline blasts to the world,

but the world doesn’t hear.

Mangrove, fish, and coral

choked with flowing oil from capsized barge.

The sea hears, the shore hears,

the mangroves hear,

the fish hear,

the coral hear.

Mangroves live in salty water.

Mangroves live in harmony

with ebb and flow of the tide,

in harmony with fish,

in harmony with coral,

in harmony with humans.

Mangroves protect & buffer

homes on the coast &

hoard the carbon we spew.

Mangroves know the oil

in the depths of their souls.

Jacquelyn Markham (4/20/2024)

The Story behind the poem:

Because my latest book of poetry, Rainbow Warrior, is a collection of eco-poetry with some focus on environmental issues like oil disasters and nuclear testing, I am going to write a short poem on one of these historical events. Unfortunately, only too often do we hear about an oil spill and very often, we don’t hear at all.

In doing my research today, I realized that April 20 is the anniversary (if that’s the right word) of the devastating Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, April 20, 2010. According to Reuters news source, it was the worst accidental offshore oil spill in history, killing 11 workers and releasing 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

I addressed the Deepwater Horizon Oils Spill deeply in my poem, “Myth of the Infinite Sea,” first published in 2012 in the Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Vol. IV, Shepherd University, and included in my collection, Rainbow Warrior, published  by Finishing Line Press (2023).

This link details major oil spills in US since 1969.  There are far too many!

So, this is how my poem about a historical event came to be. The event was the oil spill in the Caribbean, impacting the islands of Bonaire and Tobago, first spotted on February 7, 2024 and still leaking as of February 26. The oil was causing a “serious threat to both humans and nature.” (Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/oil-spotted-bonaires-east-coast-could-come-tobago-local-media-2024-02-26/

Jacquelyn Markham, poet & writer, author of Rainbow Warrior, Finishing Line Press (2023), Peering Into the Iris: An Ancestral Journey and China Baby, among other titles.

Mangroveshttps://earthwiseradio.org/podcast/mangrove-trees-and-climate-change/

Day 18 What I Long to Be

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And on this 18th day of our challenge, Maureen at Napowrimo says: “Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which the speaker expresses the desire to be someone or something else, and explains why.”

What I Long to Be

I long to be a new version of me.

I long to be a rockin’ rock star who

tours the world and sings to packed crowds,

with a legacy that lasts a half century.

I long to be much taller & thinner, much more stylish.

I long to write novels & sell them to

moviemakers who turn them into series.

I long to have a productive green garden,

an immaculate yard, and a spotless house,

clean sheets every night, no ring on the tub.

I long to be strong & courageous, climb

rocks like a pro, &  nothing too heavy for me to lift!

No mountain too high for me to climb!

I long to know no fear—not in the dark of night

or on the busiest expressway that crosses the city

or the highest suspension bridge.

An elevator up to the 100th floor, no problem.

No anxiety, no jitters, no vertigo.

I long to be a famous philanthropist & give money away,

an environmentalist who saves the manatees & the whales.

But, since all of these longings are far from my reach,

I long to be the best me I can be!

Jacquelyn Markham (4/18/2024)