Day: July 20, 2020

I am… – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ thereluctantpoet ~ 2 Comments

flashlight batteries - Ali Grimshaw

When you choose what follows
I am ...
pick your words with care.
I am brave can make walls disappear.
I am enduring can see you through troubled times.
I am curious can allow you to travel on a floating leaf
without leaving the front yard.

Sometimes others want to choose our words for us.
You are trouble.
You are incapable.
You are unworthy.

The secret is
words won't stick to you if you don't want them.
If you look closely they can be found.
Those unwanted words are removable.
Peel them off
Brush them away
or gently blow them into the breeze
like seeds of the dandelion. 

You never have to keep the words
unless you want them. 

So, what words will you choose
to follow 
I am...?

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Yes, I Do

~ thereluctantpoet ~ 1 Comment

Women Who Think Too Much by Jeanne Marie

I spent half my life making rules and asking people to follow them, disappointed when they didn’t.
I spent half my life cleaning when I could have played with my children, but, I didn’t.
I let time slip away, let people drift out of my life, moments I should have treasured but, I didn’t.
I let problems weigh me down, things that  didn’t even matter the next day.
But, I thought they did.
Now, I treasure every moment, every hug, every butterfly and flower.
Yes, I do.

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Tips For When Inspiration Isn’t Striking

~ thereluctantpoet

mythoughtsonwritingandreading

I find it ironic that I’m writing this blog post at a time when I’m having severe writer’s block. But maybe this is what I need and what some of you might need as well. It’s hard to write when you don’t know what to write about. It’s hard to write when your imaginary friends have decided to go on vacation and didn’t give you any warning. And it’s hard to write in emotional times (although you would think those would be the easiest times to write, they aren’t).

So to try and get my inspiration back, that’s what this post is for! Plus I thought it would be helpful for anyone else who isn’t feeling inspired as of late. So here are some tips to help us get our inspiration back!

1. Writing prompts: Not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of writing prompts. Some writing prompts…

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Saturday Six Word Story Prompt (6WSP) #46 – The Roundup Post

~ thereluctantpoet

My Random Ramblings

The prompt for the Saturday Six Word Story (6WSP) #46 was: Family.

Here’s the roundup post for 6WSP #46:

By rugby843 at The Bag Lady: Family is the beginning and end. ♥️

By Trix: Disappointed, she left her family forever.

By The Abject Muse at The Abject Muse: She wished she’d never been adopted.

By Aashi D Parekh at Falling upwards:

“Family?”

“Strange! What’s that?

I’m orphaned.”

By Sadje at Keep It Alive: I am incomplete without my family.

By Leena T Pandey at WordJini: They’d made her what she was.

By Di at pensitivity101: Family by blood doesn’t mean closeness.

By Susi Bocks at I Write Her:

Dear Family,
I miss your hugs.

By Angie Trafford at Angie Trafford: The bond uniting us together. Forever.

By Sangeetha at Gettinglost:

Papa’s assumptions

go geopositioning

precious princess

By June at jaquintinwriter: Precious mementos – interior acceptance fading ghosts.

By Lauren: Family…

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The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – July 18

~ thereluctantpoet

Jo Hawk

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 200 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided…

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