Divided parts equaling one, fullness, wholeness, completion

Centurion, a soldier, one of a hundred, a sacrificial lamb

Is this the lost one the Good Shepherd seeks after?

Cent, a coin, one of a hundred, a widow’s portion

Is this the one the bride lost yet searched for?

Centimetre, one of a hundred, a small measure of distance

Life’s path made up of pressing toward a high calling?

Century, years heaped up, gathered together to equal one hundred

Those who live to tell are celebrated by grateful royalty

One hundred percent, divided parts equaling one, fullness, wholeness, completion

29. A poem that is exactly 100 words long. (4 pts)

My journey was revealed, although I didn't know
As a tightly furled bud in the last of Winter's snow

Cold finally released me, as Spring's warmth called
Blush kissed petals blossomed, many were enthralled

Summer's shimmering heat along with it's long days
turned flower into fruit helped gently by warm rains

Autumn ripened redness caught a wizened eye
and my blessed productivity was threatened thereby

With a envious destruction and with malicious spite
My beauty once life-giving would darken into fright

With her trust filled taste, her gratitude complete,
the poison made all night and evil did she meet

In the land of lost desire, an enchanted rest
I was clutched near the heart of the truest and the best

A far eastern sun was rising to bring a new and brightened day
undoing winter's coldness, returning breath to clay

A kiss was the death's undoing, with it I fell to the earth
true love creating, sowing, seeds of life, a rebirth

An apple doesn't fall far as every wise seed knows
Love continually brings blossoms as fresh and white as snow

thank you "snow white" for your story

2.      A fairy tale told in poem form from the view point of a peripheral character. ( 4pts)

Job,
yours was a story many share
of unfathomable loss
of heartbreak upon heartbreak
of the faithlessness of friends
of the abandonment by family
of wracking and horrifying pain
and yet... and yet... you chose Life
Job, how were you able to declare the the LORD's deep goodness?
How did you see the Reality of things too wonderful to know?
What does this generation need to know about that declaration of Truth?
How does this generation act upon that knowledge?
What do our eyes need to see, hearts need to hear?
How do we allow the Divine to come alongside our suffering?
What do we do about suffering, Job?
How do we repent? How do we pray? How do we act?

10.  A poem written as a question directed to a character in an Old Testament story. (4pts)

What would a perfect day include?

Would it start before sunrise with birdsong?
Would a conversation-rich walk at dawn be a part?
Would the sights and sounds of an awakening community be enjoyed?
Would several laps in a pool add to life and longevity?
Would coffee with kind co-workers deepen thinking?
Would interaction with enthusiastic learners multiply happiness?
Would sorting out details bring together a more knowledgeable community?
Would sharing lunch in a tropical breeze be a reminder to gratitude?
Would talk of a future visit in a faraway place bring delight?
Would creativity and laughter mark many moments?
Would hours of purposeful action lead to a contemplative quiet?
Would generous gifts from family and friends be well received?
Would the journey homeward promise rest?
Would the dinner provide an extra measure of comfort?
Would tending the days goings on bring joy?
Would sleep garment the day as a blessing and benediction?

Who would of thought a day could be so good?

A poem comprised entirely of questions. (4pts)

There is this waiting dog...

Waiting to go out
Waiting to know care
Waiting to be walked
Waiting to be let in
Waiting to see a dish filled or even better, a treat given
Waiting to nestle alongside a quiet book filled moment
Waiting to see happiness and multiply it
Waiting to see weariness and undo it
Waiting to see tears and bring comfort
Waiting to protect, serve and even rescue
Waiting to lap the living room in homecoming excitement
Waiting to share a full life

This hopeful expectancy
is an invitation to joy.

5.      A poem written for a dog. (4pts)

In this place Love grew

The porched front door saw many guests, more family and with them came laughter.

The entry's staircase invited one up to the windowed landing and beyond.

My parents room, rosebud themed, had pillows they shared with us on stormy nights.

The most comforting fragrances of home nestled there.

A bedroom shared with sisters and toys, books, hopes and dreams.

Both attic and basement were dusty and forbiddingly cobwebbed.

A living room where a fire burned bright and a TV told stories.

A dining room where sometimes bacon and pancakes were eaten for evening's supper.

Then the kitchen where I learned to wash dishes and tasted the flavors and textures of food.

A bathroom where a shaving brush stood damp and clean laundry rested in a basket

There were tulips along the sides of this childhood home.

When they came up that Spring, I believed.

Perhaps I believed in Beauty.

My heart had a taste of Hope.

My mind glimpsed Mystery.

It was still cold outside, yet in this place Life sprung.

In this place Love grew.

The dining room table in the top collage and the rocking chair picture in the lower collage are taken in this home.

From 2010 family picts from history

 

From 2010 family picts from history

From 2010 family picts from history

   

3. A poem written after thinking of your childhood home in detail, room by room. ( 4pts)

His dinosaur smile
Peanut buttered, jellied grin
A wordless thank you

Thank you anvilsandedelweiss for the poetry Throwdown... I'm going to pick it up!

April is National Poetry Month Scavenger Hunt Throwdown, 2011

1.      A haiku using the word dinosaur. (2pts)

2.      A fairy tale told in poem form from the view point of a peripheral character. ( 4pts)

3.      A poem written after thinking of your childhood home in detail, room by room. ( 4pts)

4.      A poem which references Egyptian burial rituals. ( 4pts)

5.      A poem written for a dog. (4pts)

6.      A poem incorporating the following words: elbow, cedar, bells, wrench, pancakes,  millipede. (5pts)

7.      A poem entitled “Song of the Banded Tree Snail.” ( 4pts)

8.      A poem comprised entirely of questions. (4pts)

9.      A poem incorporating the following: paper fish, blade, juniper, lace, salt, tongue. (5pts)

10.  A poem written as a question directed to a character in an Old Testament story. (4pts)

11.  A sestina. ( if you people didn’t complain about them so much, this wouldn’t happen!(5pts)

12.  A poem using carousel horses as a starting point ( 4pts)

13.  A poem which incorporates a theme of animal cruelty. ( 4pts)

14.  A poem about a road trip. (3pts)

15.  A post about the poets and poems you admire or have influenced you. ( 4 pts)

16.  A poem incorporating/ about mushrooms. ( 3pts)

17.  A poem incorporating the following: Crow, sodium, calico, rust, marrow, scrape. (5pts)

18.  A poem entitled “The Crocus and the Frog”. (5pts)

19.  A poem entitled “Murder.” ( 4pts)

20.  Study the works of one or more of the following poets. Write a poem fashioned after their work.  Jane Kenyon, Jim Harrison, Mary Oliver, Allen Ginsberg, Sharon Olds, Li-Young Lee, William Stafford, Leonard Cohen, Sylvia Plath, Pablo Neruda, Stephen Dobyns. ( 3pts each)

21.  A palindrome poem ( 5pts)

 22.  A poem incorporating the following: wooly mammoth, chisel, sex, barbed wire, shell, television. (5pts)

23.  A poem about a monument. ( 3pts)

24. A metapoem. ( 3pts)

25. A poem incorporating the following: post card, gasoline, robin’s egg, blood, ocean, orgasm. ( 5pts)

26. An Idyll ( 5pts)

27. A poem incorporating another language. ( 4pts)

28. A poem based on a story you were read or told as a child. ( 4pts)

29. A poem that is exactly 100 words long. (4 pts)

30. An Earth Day poem ( 3pts)

31. A poem  with the line “ because Saturn is made of hydrogen and helium.” (4pts)

32. A poem which uses the line “ he rises like a dead fish after thaw. ( 4pts)

33. A poem incorporating the following: suicide, bicycle chain, apples, newsprint, moth, forget-me-nots. ( 5pts)

34.  A political poem ( 4pts)

35. Spoken word: An original poetry recording ( 4pts)

36. A prose poem ( 3pts)

37. A poem in which an animal is an omen/ harbinger of something. ( 3pts)

 38. A poem incorporating the following: breast, pepper, Agni, weeping, ice, planet. ( 5pts)

 39. A poem about Trout Lily ( 3pts)

 40. A poem entitled “String Theory” ( 4pts)

 41. A poem incorporating the following: Melusine, candles, infant, branches, verdant, moon, knife ( 5pts)

 42. A poem which contains 8 words which begin with “O” ( 4pts)

 43.  A poem about advice given to you by a parent. ( 4pts)

 44. A poem incorporating the following: acorn, sex, burlap, dream, wire, fin, hair, teeth ( 5pts)

 45. A poem about cooking.  ( 3pts)

 46. A poem which has meaning when read from the bottom up as well as the top down. ( 5pts)

 47. Submit up to 6 poems to publications. ( 1 pt for each poem)

 48. An Etheree ( 4pts)

 49. A poem entitled “Light in April.” (3pts)

 50 A poem which the title is longer than the poem ( 3pts)

 51.. A poem incorporating the following: Inuit, barn owl, divorce, blackberries, tide, bone, key ( 5pts)

 52. A poem about being lost.  ( 4pts)

 53. A poem taken from the headlines of the daily news.  ( 4pts)

54-60: Photoshoppe: a poem inspired by the following photos. 3pts each.

   

   

 Heh. Bona Fortuna.

P.S. Tag your entries SH-NPM1... if you remember. i forget a lot.
P.S. Part 2; I only took this off of sign in lock to get it on the front page. I will be going back to sign in lock before the Chinese watch spammers come out after dusk. I find this is good for my sanity. If you want to play, you will need a Xanga anyway.

As mentioned previously I'm helping with some design ideas for a Social Enterprise in Siem Reap, Bloom Bags. I just came back from there yesterday and I'm always inspired and delighted by the ways a good idea can take "flight" here in Cambodia.

Taken from their site: All Bloom profits go to our Cambodian staff and to growing Bloom. Ultimately, the aim is for Bloom to be a workers' cooperative, where workers own, manage, grow the business and share the profits.

Bloom bags is now on Facebook!
Join the growing number of members who support our little project

Here is an idea for using re-purposed jeans. I love working with old denim, it is like the softest of leathers.

From 2011 Bloom Denim

From 2011 Bloom Denim

From 2011 Bloom Denim

Wonderful!

From 2010 Christmas at A New Day Cambodia

Marvelous!

From 2010 Christmas at A New Day Cambodia

Fabulous...

From 2010 Christmas at A New Day Cambodia

A very Merry Christmas from the ANDC kids and me, their "Teacher of Darn".

A Huge Thank you goes out to:
Sok the tuktuk driver who without English helped me find stuffing 30 min before class began.
Pam and Grace for supplying fabric for this project.
First Baptist Church Women's group for notions and supplies.
Shishi Girl for the pattern which while meant to be a sphere in felt was an oval in cotton

p.s. I've been thinking of that phrase "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day... teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime..." Wonder if it applies to kids and their toys???
"Give a kid a toy she plays for a day... teach her how to make a toy she plays for a life time." What do you think?  Enjoy the slides below: 

A few posts ago I shared how happy I was making the "Tiny Happy" Shoulder Bag.

Since then a delightful and creative possibility opened up. A dear friend, Diana Saw in Siem Reap, is considering diversifying asked if I'd think up some new design ideas for Bloom Bags.
To quote from their site:

"Bloom is a social enterprise established in Sept 2006 with the intention of providing fair-paying jobs to disadvantaged Cambodians. Bloom is not a factory. We are a small workshop of ten people who spend our working hours dreaming up and making original, quality bags, all hand-made from recycled rice and fish feed bags."

I've been reading Diana's blog since before coming to Cambodia and I've been inspired by her adventure here. Her Manifesto for Bloom Bags makes me smile each time I read it! There is now a Bloom Garden Guesthouse too! Here's a link to picts from my stay there and trip to Siem Reap last month.

I thought this might be a way to possibly re-purpose used "jeans". Many bundles of used clothing are shipped to Cambodia from other parts of Asia and are re-sold here. I'll try that on the next sewing session. I used canvas-weight denim to make this I made this bag, a possible Bloom Bag proto-type. My geeky, crafty (as in the type that makes crafts not grinch-like) heart is so pleased to be part of this!

From 2010 Bloom Denim Shoulder Bag Design

I've been working on a few items in linen... but not too pleased with the result. I'm thinking of a couple of other ideas... hand stitching on linen... painting temple motifs on bags... so many directions it could go.  In the mean time I'm pleased with this pattern modified from the "Tiny Happy" Shoulder Bag.  The following slide show explains how it was made.