a journal of deep breaths

37 posts1, 2, 3
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Charm
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Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:40 am
Charm says... · Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:40 am
a journal of deep breaths


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"And like the moon, we must
go through phases
of emptiness to feel
full again."

☾

Table of Contents



Past NaPo Threads
2016 — late night poetry from my trusty notebook
2017 — traveler with a broken heart
2018 — don't expect greatness
2019 — April sighs
Last edited by Charm on Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:09 am, edited 18 times in total.
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Charm
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Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:55 am
Charm says... · Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:55 am
My Goals:


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    1. Write 30 poems.
    2. Write one poem a day.
    3. Comment 30 times in other NaPo threads.
    4. Attend 5 poetry jams.
    5. Participate in April Madness.
    6. Have a NaPo buddy.
    7. Participate in the NaPo advertisement contest.

    I will cross out a goal once I have completed it.
Last edited by Charm on Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Charm
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Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:28 pm
Charm says... · Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:28 pm
1. Enclosed

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    The wind shudders,
    shuffling the green-faced leaves.

    Sunlight peers through
    the cracks of blue sky
    between the tree branches
    that sway, bend, creak
    in the breeze.

    I sigh along with spring,
    listen easefully to the bird songs
    that fill the yard, to the scurrying
    feet of squirrels climbing bark,
    and distance cars that whisper,
    drifting along the highway,
    their presence, a quiet reminder
    of life outside these walls.
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Charm
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Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:37 am
Charm says... · Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:37 am
2. Downpour

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    Some days it will rain,
    soak you through till
    you shiver
    down to the core.

    Downpour, rough
    against your skin,
    cheeks wet,
    fabric clinging
    to a huddled frame.

    You’ll dip
    your head back,
    wonder
    if it’s worth it.
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Charm
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Sun Apr 04, 2021 3:05 am
Charm says... · Sun Apr 04, 2021 3:05 am
3. Tealight

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    in my hands
    you are warm.

    a soft flickering light,
    sheltered by my fingers.
    a gentle fluttering heart,
    melting by the heat
    of your own flame.

    burning as bright
    as you are able,
    yet still not enough.
Last edited by Charm on Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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bluewaterlily
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Sun Apr 04, 2021 3:47 am
bluewaterlily says... · Sun Apr 04, 2021 3:47 am
I love your beautiful and vivid yet concise imagery. Adore these lines "a soft flickering light,/sheltered by my fingers."
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden
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Charm
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User avatar
Charm
Gender Female
Points 1335
Reviews 277
Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:09 am
Charm says... · Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:09 am
4. Iris

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    in the late morning
    after the storm cleared
    and left dew drops
    on the weeds
    that crawled out
    from beneath the mulch,
    I went for a walk,

    my heavy chest
    breathed in the damp air,
    my tired feet sunk
    into the moist ground,
    and there I found you
    alone.

    a single iris
    blooming
    large white petals
    open like arms extended,
    asking for a hug,
    for a friend.

    in my hands, I held your sturdy stem
    and cut you away from your roots.

    I placed you in jar of water
    put you on my windowsill in the sun—
    a little bit of outside for my crapped walls

    but I can't help but think
    how cruel of I to steal you away
    from where you belonged.
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Charm
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Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:46 am
Charm says... · Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:46 am
5. Drowning

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    all I see is blue
    cerulean depths
    plunge me deep
    down.

    [ I used to try so hard
    to swim, keep my head
    above the waters.
    rouge waves were
    just another current,
    but I've never been
    this sore in my life. ]


    I’ve been sinking
    into fatigue,
    struggling
    to breathe,

    like there’s a hand
    holding my head
    underwater

    [their voices are jumbled
    distant-remarks of worry
    washing over my skin,
    never sinking in.]


    I’m somewhere
    between reality
    and reverie,

    dreamlessly drifting
    along, as the anchor
    tied to my ankle
    pulls me deeper down
    into the dark.

    [please, wake up.]
Last edited by Charm on Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Atticus
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Tue Apr 06, 2021 3:30 am
Atticus says... · Tue Apr 06, 2021 3:30 am
Spoiler
Just wanted to say I'm super proud of you for pushing through and I really love your theme and the vibes of your intro post! I love the gentle patience behind each of your poems, the quiet hopefulness that tomorrow will be better even when the world has beaten you down. Really looking forward to seeing some more poems from you! <3
[he/him]

"tiktok and giving children meth are my passions" ~ @ShadowVyper
"carinas long foretold chaos protege" ~ @veeren
"smol bean, future of chaos" ~ @carina
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Charm
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Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:40 pm
Charm says... · Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:40 pm
6. Erin

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    I try not to remember, lest memories cut deep into skin,
    behind the pinkish red of my eyelids. the shade of your blinds,
    grey on grey, is imprinted, pressed firmly on my mind.
    sweet orange fog fills the room, drips out of the diffuser,
    my favorite scent. paint-stained hands never idle,
    always crafting, cleaning, always doing something.
    the soft plush of your duvet—white, wrinkled, messily made.
    the mild colors of the projector in daylight. deep blue.
    fish float on the wall and when they’re not, it’s Kiki.
    the honeyed silence between my long-winded stories, filled
    with the sharp sound of scissors slicing through paper,
    the tap of your paint brush against glass. the dance
    of fingers on laptop keys. the way you half-listened,
    laughed, then scolded me, albeit softly, for not focusing.
Last edited by Charm on Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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momonster
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Wed Apr 07, 2021 4:36 pm
momonster says... · Wed Apr 07, 2021 4:36 pm
@Charm hello! I love reading these so much. They are pleasing to read, and they are so well written. I love how you find a GIF for each poem, and it just matches every time! Great job so far!!
previously MomoandAppa, LordMomo, MomoMajesty, and dancingontheclouds
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Charm
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Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:36 am
Charm says... · Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:36 am
7. August

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    august seems like a faraway point in time,
    a dream for the future now given a name.

    I can’t help but imagine what it’ll be like:
    late mornings smelling of french press coffee,
    a lemon tree on the balcony, house plants
    spreading their vines towards the rare sun,
    our color scheme a mix of
    your minimalism and my academia:
    grey on blue on pink on green.
    diffusers sighing out citrus scents and
    whispering “unwind.” study sessions
    that I can’t help but talk through.
    rotisserie chicken dinners to make our hands
    greasy, matched with fancy apple juice
    clinking as we cheer our wine glasses,
    together.

Spoiler
I couldn't find a gif that suited this poem. I chose this one because it reminds me of moving somewhere and time passing which is what this poem is about.
Last edited by Charm on Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Que
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Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:59 am
Que says... · Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:59 am
You've been doing such a great job so far, Charm!
I love how rich your imagery is. The line "a dream for the future now given a name" from August is one of my favorites! And I enjoy how you have such variations in your poems, from the cute sparseness of Tealight to to the dense and more intense Erin. <33
It's been a pleasure to read!
Parlez-vous français?
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Charm
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Thu Apr 08, 2021 6:56 pm
Charm says... · Thu Apr 08, 2021 6:56 pm
@tuckster Thank you so much! I think it's really interesting that you are finding themes in my thread. I'm just writing a poem a day without a plan of what my theme is going to be so it's interesting to see what naturally came about.

@momomajesty Thank you! I'm glad you like the gifs :)

@Que Thank you so much, NaPo buddy ;) I really like that line too. I think the rest of "august" is meh so I'm hoping to revise it so that line has a wonderful poem to call home. Thank you for noticing the differences in my poems this NaPo. I'm trying to experiement and explore my voice a little more <3
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37 posts1, 2, 3


Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.
— Enid Bagnold