As we slide closer to the weekend, here’s a poem I wrote many years ago for your consideration.

Requiem
©️ Nona Rose 2011

Light a candle, let it burn
And in this sacred place sojourn
I have left this world at peace
So have your eyes their crying cease.
Think of me when I was small
Or, if you didn't know me then at all,
think of me at my best
Now that I am laid to rest.

🌹

If you’d like to read the rest of this poem, follow the link below. I’d love to hear what you think and how it made you feel.

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2011/02/requiem.html?m=0

#poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryCafe #PoetryCommunity #writing #WritingCommunity #poem #requiem

This poem was inspired by the Christina Rossetti poem “The Convent Threshold” and I encourage you to read that poem if you haven’t already and then mine.

The Plight of Christina's Woman
©️ Nona Rose 2011

Can you see the stairs before me,
Leading up to solemn stars
Clothed in midnight, coal, oily black
And staring back with that conviction
That's eating into my heart and soul
As only those pious and lofty ones can

Am I treading these boards alone,
My love, my darling, lovely, cherished love,
Whose arms enclose me as I sleep
And when I wake, take me in such tender embrace
That angels blush when they catch sight
And turn their heads for holy shame?

🌹

If you’d like to read the rest of this poem, follow the link below. Let me know your thoughts, feelings, observations.

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2011/02/plight-of-christinas-woman.html?m=0

#poetry #poems #poet #PoetryByNona #PoetryCafe #PoetryCommunity #writing #WritingCommunity #ChristinaRossetti #inspiration

Rising Up
©️ Nona Rose 2011

Pretty pictures on the wall
Stare down at me in mute anticipation
They've been waiting for so long
It won't hurt to wait some more
There's no life in this room
The curtain's faded and carpet's worn
The wardrobe needs a paint
And there's no air to breathe
Someone shut the door long ago
Maybe it was me
And society is stuck outside

🌹

If you’d like to read the rest of this poem, follow the link below. Let me know your thoughts, feelings, observations.

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2011/02/rising-up.html?m=0

#poetry #poems #poet #PoetryByNona #PoetryCafe #PoetryCommunity #writing #WritingCommunity #RisingUp

My #PoetryCafe #introduction

Hello, I’m Nona Rose, I’ve been writing poetry since I was about 13 years old. I’m not published but have a series of books in the wings just waiting for right publisher.

I don’t have a style, though I’m quite partial to ekphrastic poetry. I don’t really have favourite poems or poets - different times in life lend themselves to different styles and subjects.

I’m always happy to discuss my poems, give feedback to others, or just be a friendly ear to whom you can vent about the poetic writing process.

Oh, and I use #PoetryByNona if you ever want to find things I’ve written. I encourage everyone to have their own hashtag.

Happy writing and reading of all things poetry! I’m looking forward to meeting you all.

Clandestine
©️ Nona Rose 2023

It was a secret,
A covert assignment
With furtive glances
And surreptitious talk
Of stealthy activities.

It was all very cloak-and-dagger,
The behind-the-scenes planning
And under-the-table passing of plans,
Concealed in brown envelopes
And hidden in codes and crypts.

It was a private affair,
Conducted slyly,
In an underhanded manner,
Spawning an underground movement
Run from dark and dingy back alleys

It was undercover -
A sneaky plot point
In a murky history -
Where things are kept hush-hush,
Our clandestine concern.

🌹

Feedback, comments, boosts and discussions more than welcome.

#MastoPrompt #clandestine #SmallPoems #Poetry #PoetryCommunity #PoetryByNona

(Continued …)

You made a grand gesture,
Telling me “I love you, just the way you are.”
My heart skipped a beat
And I knew you’d suddenly raised the bar.

I felt my heart swell in my chest,
My soul crying out to just say yes
But no words could escape my mouth,
Though you didn’t need to guess.

We would love for a thousand years
Like they were the first day of my life
And the last day of yours -
Who knew a mix tape could cause such strife?

🌹

How did you go? Did you find all the song titles?

#MastoPrompt #cassette #SmallPoems #poetry #PoetryByNona

This poem goes over two toots, see how many song titles you can fine.

Mix Tape
©️ Nona Rose 2023

You handed me cassette
Wanting to say call me maybe
But unsure how it would go
And wanting just to wait and see.

I listened with intent
Thinking you belong with me
As lyrics rolled across my heart
And would let me be.

We went on a first date
Hoping we would let it happen
But being just a little nervous
And not wanting to be caught nappin’.

You pursued me with vigour -
I still can’t fight this feeling
And back then it was new and magic -
And it set my soul to healing.

I fell hard and fast
You are a place in the sun,
A shelter from the rain,
And a warm hug when the day is done.

We knew we wanted forever:
Could it be the greatest love story?
The future wasn’t written yet
But it was full of hope and glory.

(Continued …)

#MastoPrompt #cassette #SmallPoems #Poetry #PoetryByNona

I don’t want to be a tourist in your life
I want to be a citizen of your world
Occupying permanent residency
And contributing to all that you are

I don’t want to always be coming and going
I want to find a place in your heart
Somewhere I can settle down
And make myself a home

I don’t want to constantly have to say goodbye
I want to welcome a shared experience
Something we can reminisce about together
And bore grandchildren with endlessly

I don’t want to be a tourist in your life
I want to explore more than the highlights
Wander off the well worn path
And discover the parts of me you can only see

#MastoPrompt #tourist #SmallPoems #Poetry #PoetryByNona

Please comment 💬 boost 🔁 and favourite ⭐️

The Approach of Winter is Somewhat Subdued
©️ Nona Rose 2023

The brisk mornings fade into melancholic afternoons
Of oversized jackets and fleece lined boots
Wanting to pull up the hood and hide in the muffled silence
Of dogs barks and too early awake owls hoots

The light melts like snow that barely has time to hit the ground,
Lingering on the horizon for not even the blink of an eye
While the chill hangs heavy for what seems forever
And the gone too soon day kisses the long night goodbye

These moments don’t arrive with fanfare or pizzazz,
Sneaking in almost imperceptibly amongst the turning leaves
Until one suddenly realises the dark is running a marathon not signed up for
As the light sprints, its breath short and its chest heaves

But there is comfort in that subtle change of seasons
From sweltering days that cook all reasoned thought
To nights that toast toes by flickering firelight
And cocoon bodies in down stuffed blankets years since bought

🌹

#poem #PoetryByNona #winter

Love and Wishes
©️ Nona Rose 2023

I love my job.
But I wish the pay was better.

I love where I live.
But I wish it weren’t so expensive.

I love my friends.
But I wish they were more supportive.

I love my son.
But I wish I had more kids.

I love my mum.
But I wish she had her own life.

I love social media.
But I wish it provided more engagement.

I love writing.
But I wish it was easier to get published.

I love my crush.
But I wish he loved me back.

I love photography.
But I wish more people hired me.

I love my life.
But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.

🌹

#life #poetry #PoetryByNona #love #perfection #desire #wishing #personal #reflection

Days that Pass to Infinity
©️ Nona Rose 2014

One day, not yet but one day,
When it's probably too late,
I'll be honest, and you'll know
What you've always suspected.

Until that day I'll simply be
The dream half forgotten,
The forbidden always denied,
The wish never granted.

And every day that passes
Brings me closer to that day
When my heart stands still
And no breath escapes my lips.

🌹

I wrote this 9 years ago about a guy I had a crush on but who was (is) married. Sometimes we fall for people who are out of reach. Knowing that it’s not going to happen and accepting it are part of moving on because I would never put my temporary happiness before someone else’s marriage or relationship. In the end, that is not how I want to live my life. And it has meant saying no to a lot of offers, which comes with the territory of being a woman and being ethically non-monogamous. Funny how often people forget the ethical part of that.

#poetry #feelings #PoetryByNona #unrequited #love #ethical

Existential Dread Muses About Life
©️ Nona Rose 2023

From a speck of dust expelled from a dying star
To a conglomeration of neural pathways
Wending their way back and forth
Through the intricacies of self destruction
Exploding without warning into the vast expanse
Of imagination and delusion projected here
Waiting for ascension to the void of space
The soul a speck caught in the corner of an eye
That cries at the memories created
In that moment of cohesion
Between the blinks of a universe
Which continues to shift and mould itself
Building and tearing down at every opportunity
The infinite possibilities of all the unknown.

#PoetryByNona #poem #writing #WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #CreativeWriting #writer

Another #EkphrasticPoetry entry I whipped up this afternoon

Prompt: Sally Mann “Black Eye”
(USA) photographic negative 1991, printed 1992
Gelatin silver print

Note: trigger warning for ideas surrounding childhood trauma and death (poem in following toot under content warning.

All feedback welcome. If you have any images you’d like me to write a poem for, let me know.

#PoetryIsArt #poetry #PoetryCommunity #PoetryByNona #PoetryMastodon #poet #PoetsOfMastodon #poem #PoemsofMastodon #PoemsByNona #writing #WritingIsArt #WritingCommunity #writer #WritersOfMastodon #childhood #ChildhoodTrauma #child #death #ekphastic #image #SallyMann #photography

Some people love their time in the military, others do not. I’ve known people in both camps. I know people who still serve. This won’t reflect everyone’s perspective, it’s just one perspective.

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/11/following-orders.html?m=1

Let me know what you think, especially if you’re current or former military.

#poem #PoemsByNona #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoemsOfMastodon #PoetryMastodon #PoetryCommunity #writing #WritingCommunity #PoetryIsArt #WritingIsArt #Military

I wrote this just as before the summer of 2020/2021 in Australia. The summer before had been horrific and this was for all the firefighters (paid and volunteers) and those who lived through the bushfires defending homes, buildings, livestock and loved ones. This summer has been much milder but the fear of another like 2019/2020 hangs over everyone, especially those who live close to fire prone areas.

If you have a moment, please read the full poem.

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/11/murky-air.html?m=1

#poem #PoemsByNona #PoemsOfMastodon #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryMastodon #PoetryCommunity #PoetryForPurpose #PoetryIsArt #writing #WritingCommunity #WritingIsArt #WritersOfMastodon #fires #bushfires #australia #summer #SummerFires #SummerInAustralia

Quiet: A Sestina

I didn’t 100% stick to the rules of a sestina but rules are made to be broken … if you want to read the full poem, click the link!

https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/11/quiet-sestina.html?m=1

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.

#poem #PoemsByNona #PoemsOfMastodon #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryMastodon #poets #PoetsOfMastodon #PoetryCommunity #sestina #writing #WritingCommunity #writers #WritersOfMastodon #PoetryWriters #PoetryWriting #WritingPoetry #art #MastoArt #WritingIsArt #PoetryIsArt #PoetryIsLife #BreakingTheRules

Day 24 of #ArtAdventCalendar. It wouldn’t be Australia without a spider reference so, as an averred arachnophobe, this is as close as I’ll get - the empty web!

The poem is “A Letter to Myself” and I hope it resonates with you.
https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-letter-to-myself.html?m=1

Let me know what you think.

#photo #photography #nature #art #MastoArt #NaturePhotography #SpidersWeb #ArtMatters #BlackAndWhite #BlackAndWhitePhotography #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryCommunity #poem #PoemsByNona #PoetryMastodon #PoemsOfMastodon #writing #WritingCommunity #writer #WritersOfMastodon #letter #LetterToMyself #advice #AdviceForLife #hindsight

Day 23 of #ArtAdventCalendar is a recent shot, literally taken a couple of days ago. I love my city, I just wish it wasn’t filled with people when I want to take photos 😂

The poem is “Requiem for a Society” and while I haven’t put a #ContentWarning on this post as a whole, I will suggest a CW for the poem as it deals with mental health (I’ve struggled with whether to say exactly what the issue is because I don’t want to ruin the end but I don’t want to upset anyone either). Maybe send me a private toot if you’re unsure about whether you want to read it.
https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2011/02/requiem-for-society.html?m=1

As always, let me know what you think, or what you’d like to see/read in the future.

#photo #photography #cityscape #sydney #buildings #manmade #centrepoint #poem #PoemsByNona #PoemsOfMastodon #poetry #PoetryCommunity #PoetryByNona #PoetryMastodon #writing #writer #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #MentalHealth

Day 22 of #ArtAdventCalendar is this iconic Sydney feature - the coat hanger is a beautiful old girl.

The poem is “a slow rain” for anyone who doesn’t live in the big smoke.
https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-slow-rain.html?m=1

Tell me about the duality of where you live!

#photo #photography #bridge #Sydney #SydneyHarbourBridge #SydneyHarbour #coathanger #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryCommunity #PoetryMastodon #poem #PoemsByNona #PoemsOfMastodon #rain #outback #OutbackAustralia

It’s nearly the end of #ArtAdventCalendar, we’re up to Day 21: sunrise reflections.

The poem: Sonnet Redoublé (in name and in style) - this is where you write connected sonnets, and the final sonnet is made up of the starting lines of all the previous sonnets.
https://nonas-poetry-corner.blogspot.com/2020/12/sonnet-redouble.html?m=1

Let me know what you think (if I keep asking maybe someone will 🤷🏼‍♀️).

#photo #photography #nature #art #MastoArt #NaturePhotography #sunrise #ArtMatters #SunrisePhotography #coastline #shoreline #ocean #reflection #poetry #PoetryByNona #PoetryCommunity #poem #PoemsByNona #PoetryMastodon #writing #WritingCommunity #writer #WritersOfMastodon #PoetsOfMastodon #sonnet #SonnetRedoublé