Tag: National Poetry Writing Month

30-Love Underfoot

Heart-shaped rocks
underfoot
all around
on the grassy path
and sand dune
from here to the shore
and at the water’s edge

(dare I say even in the palm of the Garçon
at the pâtisserie
whose smile needed no translation)

Hearts!

There was a time I would have
come home with enough
heart-shaped rocks
to border a banister,
fill a bowl and basket,
lined them up to show
the Garçon
in the morning
with coffee and croissants

but I am content now to find
moon stones instead
translucent
round and easy
love in the stars,
the sky, the universe
enough

Photo and Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Cape Cod, Connecticut Poet, heart shaped rocks, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature writing, Poem, Poems, poems about Cape Cod, poems about nature, poems about possibility, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

29-Possibility

In a persistent
effort
to weave a web
the spider
imperceptible
casts her
silver filaments
from the uppermost
spire of a
wintered
beach plum
one thin
budded branch
from which
a hundred casts
arc and fall
arc and fall
her small labors
shimmering
in afternoon light
prayers of
possibility
glittering

Photo by Matt Hardy. Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Cape Cod, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature writing, Poem, Poems, poems about Cape Cod, poems about nature, poems about possibility, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

28-The View from Here

There is a slice
of ocean
outside
my window
and in it
the world
from a view
just above
a confluence
of birdsong
and whalesong
the mechanics
of the day
juxtaposed to
sweet, sweet
silence.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Cape Cod, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature writing, Poem, Poems, poems about Cape Cod, poems about nature, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

27-April 2025

A siren wails
and I startle,
a black car idles
and I keep a wide circle,
thunder rattles windows
and I watch to make sure
lightning follows

the world is teetering
and I keep testing my balance,
make sure I am still upright.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 2025, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Writing, writing in 2025

Creativity Poetry

26-F Stop

There’s this photo
in which he stares
at the camera
and I remember
we’d already
begun by then;
made plans,
talked for hours,
fallen in love, even
by the look on his face;
I remember that day,
our chairs pushed together,
sharing our lunches,
scribbling notes
to each other
like school kids;
but we were hardly that,
hardly so fresh to all of it;
I wish my camera
had focused more,
had adjusted its
exposure
to show the shadows,
the rough edges
and hidden details,
to find the nuances
in the full picture
I see so clearly,
now.

Poem and photo ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, life with ghosts, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Sleeping with Ghosts, Writing

Creativity Poetry

25-Cue 2025

This is Reverend Scott on the valve in the belly of Poseidon.
Quint in the jaws of his worst nightmare.
Jack and Rose at the Titanic’s stern.
Eowyn and the Nazgûl. Harry and Voldemort.
Bruce Willis on the asteroid careening through space.

This is the battle scene.
The climactic moment.
The death scene.

This is before the denouement.
Before the resolution.
Before the credits roll.

This is the moment that needs you.
That demands faith.
That requires courage.
And sacrifices.

So hang on tight, baby,
because it’s going to be a bumpy ride…

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker!

Image from the film 2012. Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about 2025, Poetry, Writing, writing in 2025

Creativity Poetry

24-Be the Grizzly Bear!

Grizzly Bear
and Goldilocks
(that’s not my name,
she says)
are discussing
the merits of
cinnamon applesauce
and whether or not
I would eat her, instead,
barbequed with ranch dressing
but before I can answer
in my gruffy harumphing voice
we’re off to gather sticks
for our make-believe fire pit
and the s’mores
we’ll eat later because
right now
she’s making breakfast
pancakes
with maple syrup?
bacon and strawberries
I love bacon!
which we eat
while she laughs that
the syrup makes my fur sticky
so she cleans it off my hands
thank you
then we pretend-read a book
before going to bed
and I snore as loud as I can
until she wakes me up
ten seconds later
to sit by the fire
(just one more round, she asks)
so I can’t possibly leave
and why would I
ever want to?
there are s’mores, after all,
and a backyard afternoon
that is just right.

Art by Goldilocks aka Alyssa. Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about joy, poems about playing, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

23-Visiting

I have seen her
one hundred times
since she died
in crowds
and corners
when I least expect
and last night
in a dream again
looking
fabulous
and forgiving
all my tears
waited
until I was done
so we could
step into the space
of time allotted
that glorious
dreamspace
where everything is
as it was
and we do
as we used to do
for hours unending
until I wake
no longer
feeling
quite as alone.

Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about friendship, poems about loss, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

22-BFF

If these walls
could talk
these shelves
and set-aside
spaces
you might think
I love her
and I do
one hundred times
I do
and have
for so long
I no longer remember
first glance,
first conversation
first spark of friendship
but this
and this
and this
tell our story —
part of it
most of it
the sum of it —
easy to turn pages
in this space
and remember
the miles we traveled,
the endless stories,
the memories
gathered in pockets
to take home
for safe keeping.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about friendship, Poetry, thelma and louise, Writing

Creativity Poetry

21-Mid-April Morning

The morning
thick with sound
spring sound
a humid hovering
of birdsong
and flowersong
buds on trees
whispering
and soft soil
separated
by anxious green
almost ready
for the ministry
of bees
and butterflies
soon to be
tending
and tittering
a symphony
of what is
this moment
and what will be
at any moment
soon.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, poems about spring, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

20-Conjured

It’s witchcraft, surely
the lyrics so clearly written
for you and me…ha!
as if she even knows we exist

or existed…
it’s been so long

but maybe we are
whatever we were
whatever that was
something to
write songs about

our confluence
of time and need
desire and connection
in an instant
how we both knew!

like we do now
in moments
the coincidence
of a memory
a sighting
a conjuring of
you and me and
shadows of

whatever we were
whatever that was
something to
write songs about

on the radio
and me singing
like an incantation
a beautiful wicked spell
as your car passes by

Hocus Pocus
I’m sure you’d say
and we’d laugh
again
one more time
for old time’s sake

Poem ©2025 Jen Payne with thanks to Taylor Swift. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, ghosts, Jen Payne, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about Taylor Swift, Poetry, Sleeping with Ghosts, Taylor Swift, Writing

Creativity Poetry

19-Oh Poop!

pathetic
pedestrians
perambulate,
place
pups’
poop
packets
permanently,
propped
presumptuously
pathside,
preserved
perpetually

Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. For more on this topic, order your copy of “There’s No Such Thing as the Poop Fairy” today! NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Anthropocene, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

18-Peace in the Age of Monsters

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 19, 2025
2 Comments on 18-Peace in the Age of Monsters

Sleep has been merciful
these past three months,
arriving early from exhaustion
staying late in fellowship
with the dreams that wax nostalgic
for simpler nightmares and harmless ghosts.

But this morning, I’m awake at 3,
my familiar and I like old friends
sharing space beneath the spring moon,
waning in its sixth phase,
while one lone peeper keeps time
as sharp as the second hand on a clock.

We have not been together in this way —
the moon and morning and me —
since the monsters took over,
since their cacophony of destruction,
the sinister palpitation of days,
and all of us wondering what or who will be next.

This morning is a gift of quiet comfort,
the marsh frog a beacon which seems to say
Here! Here! Here!
over and over and over,
it reminds that even in the age of monsters,
once can find solace in the soft, dark edges,
calm in the promise of cycles and phases,
of spring and worlds ever spinning.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems in 2025, Poetry, Writing, writing in 2025

Creativity Poetry

017-Prayer Wheel

The tree —
smooth and
shorn of its bark —
is like a prayer wheel,
calligraphy
etched by time,
and at once
my walk becomes
sacred

it is mantra
and
sutra,
praise
and
repentance,
invocation
and
intercession

god is on the wind
today,
Her blessings
arrive
in birdsong

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, Poetry, Spiritual Ecology, Writing

Creativity Poetry

16-Reading Poems I Don’t Understand

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 18, 2025
No Comments on 16-Reading Poems I Don’t Understand

sit up straight
the napkin goes on your lap
elbows off the table
tines down
tines up
left hand, right hand,
tip the spoon away
don’t slurp
don’t shovel
don’t talk with your mouth full

and

sit

up

straight

May I please be excused?

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

15-My walk becomes an apology

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 17, 2025
1 Comment on 15-My walk becomes an apology

I’m sorry

to the squirrel
and its dying beech

to the frog eggs
in the pool
in the woods
in this world

to the moss
upon which I walk

to the osprey
for my disturbance

I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry

the words come unbidden

all around the pond

this is just the way it is now

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, poems about the anthropecene, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

14-To the Starlings who have moved into the Privet Hedge on Short Beach Road

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 15, 2025
2 Comments on 14-To the Starlings who have moved into the Privet Hedge on Short Beach Road

To the Starlings who have moved into the Privet Hedge on Short Beach Road,

Welcome.

Please stay as long as you like.

Help yourself to the bugs and slugs in the front garden. Enjoy the spread of sweet clover and violets in the lawn, but watch for the mower who arrives every two weeks on Friday.

There’s always shade under the boxwoods, if you need, and rain water in small pools along the mossy brick path.

In the back, you’ll find a bird feeder loosely tended, but often full of seeds, and an endless dance of bees among the honeysuckle by the old dogwood.

We have resident squirrels, a family of five jays, and a chipmunk who resides just south of the bird bath which we keep filled all summer long.

The pond out back offers the companion of frogs and turtles, crows and owls, a flock of your brothers and sisters, and at least one hawk for balance.

Pay no mind to the cat. She never goes outside, but does love her spot on the screen porch. Feel free to watch her watching you, that could go on for hours!

Now mind you, I do have one request.

What I ask only in return is this: please do not cross the wide wild way, west of the hedge. It’s fast and merciless. If you, out of instinct, fly that way ever, please stay high and alert.

And come home safely.

Always, Jen

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, poems about starlings, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

13 – A Sunday Morning in 2025

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 13, 2025
2 Comments on 13 – A Sunday Morning in 2025

It occurred to me this morning,
while I held tight to old dreams,
that someone, somewhere
was also waking to this day,
but opening eyes to
a present they recognized:
the familiar sun though curtains
and the routine of Sunday
laid out in front of them
with no need to pretend otherwise;
the photos on the shelf
of old friends smiling,
the bucket list taped to the
refrigerator door,
the piggy bank promise
of new adventures
somewhere and someday
still shimmer in the early light
of their morning, there;
should I tell them?
remind them to hold fast
live in the moment
for god’s sake
everything is fleeting,
tomorrow might already
be a memory.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Writing, writing in 2025

Creativity Poetry

12-still advancing confidently in the direction of my dreams

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 12, 2025
No Comments on 12-still advancing confidently in the direction of my dreams

Thoreau, she tells me,
was tended to by women.
Meals and laundry —
a side of the story I’d missed,
hadn’t even thought to think about;
his cabin in the woods?
his solitude and simplicity?
my dream!
my escape!
my alternate ending!
and who considers practicalities
when we’re having
a transcendental crisis?
I am disheartened
and disappointed
and then…delighted!
The solitude of the woods?
The simplicity of sojourn?
And a community of women
to soothe and support?
Life Goals times one hundred!

P.S. There’s a Walden video game!

Poem ©2025 Jen Payne. Inspired, in part, by Hendry David Thoreau’s Walden. The title of the poem reflects the quote: “I learned this, at least, by my experiment : that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Photo from Literary America. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Henry David Thoreau, Jen Payne, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Walden, Walden Pond, Writing

Creativity Poetry

11-Chirp Chirp

It’s the robin’s trill
that most often
calls him to mind
deep from the arbor
of spring azalea
and its cotton candy
blooms,
the privet hedge
shoulder high
then two stories up
in an instant of memory,
a wooden screen door slam
bees and clover
and Pappy
lifting me to the sky
whiskey on a breeze,
the rough chafe
of whiskers,
“chirp chirp”
he says as a kiss
against my cheek
then sets me on the ground
to tangle in the blossoms
one more time
before we leave
for home.

Poem ©2025, Jen Payne. Photo of poet, age 4, with her grandfather. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, Poetry, poetry as memoir, Writing

Creativity Poetry

10-Meanwhile…

There have been serendipities
and celebrations,
people at round tables
making plans,
and friends finding joy!

We have shared meals
and memories,
secrets,
and epiphanies!

We have danced
and chanted
and sung songs,
beaten drums,
created community.

We have made art,
read books,
written poems,
baked bread,
and feasted
on ice cream
three scoops high!

We have laughed,
cried,
prayed,
and sighed
so many times
we can no longer count.

We have
resisted,
persisted,
persevered,
survived,
and thrived.

We have hoped

and will continue
to do so…

meanwhile.

Poem ©2025, Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems in 2025, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

9-Roadside Attraction

There’s a ghost
standing on
Mountain Park Road
I spy her from the highway
as I scream past
at seventy
She might have waved
but had no need to
I saw her
knew her
remembered
all of the layers
of time, there
on the overpass
at Mountain Park Road
and I wondered
briefly
if she knew me
here now
this apparition
this shadow of who
she used to be
in a blur of recognition
a moment frozen in time
the all of us in overlap
here, there, then, now
on Mountain Park Road

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems in 2025, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

8-April 6, 2025

This morning
I stayed in bed
squeezed my eyes shut
and begged for more
more sleep
more dreams
more anything than what waits:
that 21st century
disappointment
and the cold blank stare
of what comes next

It was already hard enough
to live with the
stark comparison of
hopes and dreams
versus real world,
the daily effort of
just keep swimming
just keep swimming

Now there is just this
THIS
every day
THIS
good lord
THIS

Once, I told a therapist
that I was considering a
long slow drift
in ice floe silence,
and she sat aghast
asked if she should be concerned
so I dialed it back
and laughed
like I was joking

Concerned is
such a funny word —
To Whom It May Concern
we have concerns
but
it is of little concern

Yesterday, at a protest,
I danced with strangers
and felt free in a way
I haven’t since my best friend died
seven years ago
and I thought:
she is better for it
dead before THIS
all of this
with no concerns
no need for persistence
or resistance
or a clever exit strategy
disguised in a poem.

Poem & Photo ©2025, Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems in 2025, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

7-Just Enough

“Wear the world like a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly.” — St Francis of Assisi

The air is soft
70 degrees
and a breeze
that feels like
a worn cotton sheet
in the confluence
of seasons

just enough

and the smell is sweet
like fresh washed linens
floating on a line
a gentle tease
to soften the unease

the whisper-song
of nearby trees
is music
to appease

just enough

my heartfelt pleas
for peace

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

6-Pond Walk

the sound of one fish jumping

and only the osprey and I were privy

©2025, Jen Payne. Photo from Canva. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

5-When the Harvesters Come

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 5, 2025
No Comments on 5-When the Harvesters Come

All along the highway
a brutal massacre
agony and destruction
jagged edges claw the sky
not even the grace of a clean cut
no time to spare
for the scream of chain saws
the equal labor-to-labor
dignity of tree felling
the man-versus-nature
earth shaking victory
(the silent apologies)
we are now
machine-efficient
cost-effective
and ruthless
with stands of trees laid bare
twisted to their breaking point
ripped and torn
delimbed, stripped, shredded
sun burning shaded places
raw spaces for the taking

©2025, Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about nature, poems about the anthropecene, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

4 – The Start of a Poem

I pull out a

The

like a step ladder

how else to get
up and into a poem?

It

also works

I is a steep incline
and We takes some effort

of course
someone somewhere
might shout

TAKE IT OFF!

like they do commas and capitals but then we might find ourselves flat out and running on and on with none of the visual implications of poetic pauses

The

at least gets me started
revs up the reader for what comes next

without

It

I might just be Haiku

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poem, Poems, poems about writing, poems about writing poems, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

3-Surely there is magic about

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 3, 2025
No Comments on 3-Surely there is magic about

Somewhere in the ebb (of the work day)
and flow (of the springtime woods)
a page turned and laid itself gently
across the path like a vignette filter
on this enchanting afternoon
and there beneath my feet…

A single spotted wintergreen rises up from the ground…Spotted wintergreens are the flowers that grow from longing.

The sun has warmed the alcove of cedar,
so I sit for a while to consider the flowers,
the swan, the osprey, the character
who calls to me from across the pond
who? who?

He turns and stops, his head tilted towards the ground. He stands there for several seconds, staring at the spotted wintergreen…

Am I dreaming?

Then he carefully pushes his hands into the soil next to it and a cardinal flower punches through the surface…Cardinal flowers grow from frustration.

Perhaps dreaming or remembering?
Surely there is magic about,
even the Owl agrees
watching now from above,
as I sigh and adjust and…

Kneel beside the cardinal flower and touch the Earth, a purple cone flower rises to greet me.…the perfect flower for apologies.

We add to our conversation, wildflowers taking over the dirt…and so much spotted wintergreen, longing everywhere…

We see each other. I think we always have.

How long did I sleep?
I don’t recall.
Time stood still
there by the pond
beneath the trees
that whispered and sang
and soothed us —
the Owl and I —
for a moment
or hours or maybe
perhaps a lifetime.

A new flower punctuates the end of our conversation – a single iris to say he loves me.

With all thanks to Rachel Griffin and The Nature of Witches, this found poem ©2025, Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poem, Poems, poems about magic, poems about spring, Poetry, Writing

Creativity Poetry

2-One Day in Spring

Trout lilies appear

A shadow crosses my path
and I am at once
only that over which
the heron has flown —
of no other
consequence —
with only a regiment
of lilies to bear witness
how small am I
to his eye?
I wonder as I step
across a stream
apologizing
to the startled
swans
and bowing
to the osprey
watching
warily;
there’s a blush
in the tree tops
and across
my humbled face
the all of us
in awe of this
magnificent spring day.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, poems about spring, Poetry

Creativity Poetry

1 – Taking the YES Steps

the Mystic says to reenvision my life story
to purge the inessential elements
and exorcise old ghosts
this, just days before the Healer
reminds me that old stories
are just old stories
are just old stories

old stories that say
“we don’t have room for you”
right now, anymore, again
“for reasons of space and other limitations
that have nothing to do with your merits”
nothing to do with you
right now, anymore, again
“but thank you for your interest”

so when a friend says she is
taking the YES steps
all I can see is the
surgically precise removal
of my bloodied ego,
its clots and cartilage
forming bitter words on a page
that I’ll turn into kindling soon,
remind myself that forgiveness
and an open heart
(healing and self-love)
sometimes mean
putting down those old stories
and walking away
leaving them to fend for themselves
deep in the dark woods of the past

their smoldering incense
wrapping around
my wicked incantations
while I dance in the freedom
of letting go…YES!

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about transition, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

30 – gathering moon stones

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 30, 2024
No Comments on 30 – gathering moon stones

moon stones
round and white
translucent
fearless in their
devotion to tides
the pull of their namesake
reveal all and nothing
in one full breath
of a shimmering wave
their stillness
a talisman
of strength
and awakening

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Inspired by The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook by Kim Krans. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

29 – Car Trouble

Ain’t nothing more Roughneck
than a man who castrates bulls
with a rope he pulls
from the backseat of his pickup,
whose hard gravel laugh
makes you stand taller,
wipe a tear from your eye
and matter of factly
explain yourself
and that goddamn car —
you swear for affect —
fold up the Damsel
with neat corners
for her next distress,
today you’re a Warrior
no more than inconvenienced,
a firm hand on the
blade tucked in your front pocket
and eye on the ironwood stick
you keep in the back seat
for walking
(or wounding, in a pinch).

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by Ivan Mudruk. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

28 – Delusions of Grandeur

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 28, 2024
No Comments on 28 – Delusions of Grandeur

To my left
the great star sets
while to my right
the full moon rises
in between
nothing but this
odd appendage of land
jut out into the sea
and I think for a moment
that if I stand tall and wide
and step one way
or the other
I might instigate
some universal force
to move them

up
and
down

back
and
forth

at my command

I am Rose on the bow
queen of the world
ancient goddess who
commands the fulcrum

day
and
night

then
and
now

up
and
down

back
and
forth

Photo and Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

27 – At Province Lands

The red fox
near Race Point Beach
circles back as if to ask
“are you coming this time?”

We’ve met before,
he and I, here
on this sacred sequence
but I don’t recall him asking

it was more of a tease then
to this serious request
and I consider
for a moment following

through the pitch pine
and winter heath
into the dunes
lie on my back

forever to watch the stars
as whales breach
and moons rise over
my bare white bones

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

26 – Whale Watching

While watching whales,
wondering:
do they laugh
as they breach,
squeal in delight,
exalt the air
with fins and tails
and tittering,
or is the entirety of joy
contained in the
ooomph! and huzzah!
spouted
for all to see?

Photo by Taylen Lundequam. Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

25 – Sleeping in Truro

FOR GREG

How are you a ghost here
when you were often only a conversation
words on a keypad
our ethernet tethers and ideals
someone I barely knew
save for a soft, full kiss on tiptoes
and the perfumed promise
of again and more
on a day that never came

but here, in Truro now,
your ghost whispers daily
of bourbon and dunes
the curve near Longnook
a family I never met

and Cassie at the Lobster Pot
you, even then, a shadow
of what might have been
those air wave words
“whatever she wants”
you told her
paying the price
from two thousand miles away

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

24 – Helen

Poetry comes
sometimes
in precious drops
hard won from
a tea bag
saved by the sink
folded in foil
for a second cup
at lunch with
saltines and butter —
if rations allowed —

her whole life,
my grandmother’s,
was that spent tea bag,
all of its elixir
steeped for someone else
with none left to spare
for her own self
rationing every bit
so brittle she broke
too early

rare glints of love
and laughter
that peeked out
through the folds
like poetry almost,
or should have been

her sparce, beautiful life
a poem, really,
that not too many
could read

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry, spirit animal

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

23 – Monsters Among Us

They tell October tales about these things, the damages and injuries, the unforeseen consequences when humans think they control beasts.

It’s why we kept them under beds and in closets, in heavy chests with wrought iron keys and secret words.

Everyone knew the rules: what not to open, where not to go after dark, what should never be said out loud, and what to wear on a strand of string around your neck at all times.

Then they evolved. They made themselves small enough to live in pockets. They lost their tails to roam more freely. They learned to talk to us, to answer our questions. They paid attention.

But we did not.

We loved their companionship, the immediacy of their response. We needed to feel connected and important. They made us seem relevant and center stage.

So now we all have a monster. It tells us where to go and what to do. It knows exactly where we are and where we’ve been. Its shorthand directives — the beeps and dings and whoops — lead us around all day, call us back when we go astray. It monitors our heartbeat, our sleep cycles, and just how fast we can run.

If we could think about it, it would be terrifying.

Photo by Roman Odintsov. Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry, spirit animal

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

22 – Spirit Animal: Frog

The Universe is conspiring

conspiring frogs, I tell you

as little zabko considers dragons

the oracle insists on

clearing, cleansing, healing

revealing

the true nature of a spirit
out of balance
in need of water

for energy life breath

in the light of the
frog moon

drink from the cup

she says

put down that heavy load

forgive

rest

release

Inspired by the The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook by Kim Krans and When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry, spirit animal

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

21 – Soundtrack

drops of Jupiter
9 to 5
total eclipse of the heart

hold on
50 ways to say goodbye
unwritten

it’s all coming back to me now
don’t go breakin’ my heart
any way you want it
I would do anything for love
(but I won’t do that)

don’t stop believing

take me home
bless the broken road

you can feel it in the air tonight
save tonight
believe

I saw the sign
straight up!

all the small things
give it up

I want to break free
a thousand miles

dance the night away
a moment like this!

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry, road trip

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

20 – Considering the New Red Car

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 20, 2024
No Comments on 20 – Considering the New Red Car

Red is Relief (now)

Racy

Rmmm! Rmmm!

and ROAR

(what a) Rush

this Rocket (ship)

Ridiculous

Radical!

Righteous (dude)

Rejuvenating

and I am

Reborn!

Rebellious
Rambunctious
Rowdy

Risqué?

a Red Car driver

Rock star

Right as Rain

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

19 – The Story I Didn’t Write

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 20, 2024
No Comments on 19 – The Story I Didn’t Write

Her first husband was a rogue
too young for what she had in mind
but it was high-school sweetheart love
and her parents insisted
in a Roman Catholic sort of way
his too, it was a good investment
that soon included the benchmark 2.0 kids
in a house-and-white-picket-fence world
but he was prone to outrageous fortunes
and accidental accidents
that practically left him speechless
her too, most nights, waiting by the phone
so she gave herself a Divorce for Christmas
and never, ever looked back.

But he did. Retraced his missteps
relived his worst nightmares (and mine)
hit rewind and started over
with a nimble bride the same age
his first wife had been
though a better investment this time
consented not contrived
with two more dividends and
a house on a Dream
where he sometimes smiles
that scoundrel smile
to his reflection in the mirror
a flash of wicked conceit
for an endgame so very well played.

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo from Canva. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about ghosts, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

18 – Some Days I Hate to Turn the Page

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 19, 2024
No Comments on 18 – Some Days I Hate to Turn the Page

I suspect
the next
I know of you
will be the summary
the
life well spent
synopsis

and I know
it will come
as a shock
that sparks
through me

stays a while

like you did

perhaps
between now
and then
we might meet
embrace
like old friends
but
linger

a long, slow
epilogue
never to be
be printed

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by Céline. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, Memoir, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about ghosts, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

17 – Melancholy Musing

Hope is balancing a silk pin
while Faith dances round on top

Vision is blind and searching
and Dreams are at full stop

They used to call on Whimsy
and get her to stir the pot

But she’s bunked down with Sadness
and can’t really help a lot

So they lean into Serenity
and pray with all they’ve got

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Illustration by Elizabeth Chandler. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about challening times, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

16 – This Morning, 6 a.m.

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 16, 2024
No Comments on 16 – This Morning, 6 a.m.

The day is still
in silhouette

its angels
and demons
simplified
to sharp lines
against
the pale sky

hard to take
offense yet
left to
revel in the
chorus
just a while longer

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by Miriam Espacio. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

15 – Exit Strategy

Ice Floe has always been my number one pick

a slow hushed push out and away

nothing dramatic

Walk into a cornfield and dissipate, not bad

Witness Protection Program

Bermuda Triangle

Tornado (too much)

Tardis

Wardrobe

Rabbit Hole

Worm Hole

or Alien Abduction!

without the probing questions

More ET or First Contact

Just take me with u

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

14 – Hidden Superpower

You can tell a lot

from a handshake

who has the upperhand, really

decipher the code

and read the room

in one firm

(or not so)

gesture.

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by Alena Shekhovtcova. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

13 – Poetry

Poetry
like the maple’s seed
demands fertile ground
but more than that
temperature
and
location, location, location
clear days
and rain
but not too much
then
patience, perhaps
room to put down roots
figure itself out
bide its time
pray it’s not interrupted

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by Antoni Shkraba. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

12 – Cat Care Haiku

When even the cat
knows you’re having a hard time —
it is time to rest.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Haiku, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about cats, poems about challening times, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

11 – Periphery (or sandwiched in between here and what comes next)

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 11, 2024
2 Comments on 11 – Periphery (or sandwiched in between here and what comes next)

I’m livin’ on the edge these days
distant cousin twice removed
from almost everything

Twilight zone or
outer limits

or this someplace
where everything in between
— the meat and cheese of the day —
are too much to bear

lettuce pray

I feel crazy, almost,
just enough to be scary
or raise concern
but only if I start talking

and there’s no one to talk to
thankfully, maybe
on the edge of night and day
except the cat

which makes it even madder

I’m considering a nocturnal existence
here on the dark side of the clock
leave the decision making
and negotiating to the day walkers
who don’t burn hot when the sun rises

do the birds only wake to the dawn
or are their insides flaming like mine
wondering what comes next in
these unpredictable days

Pay no mind to that man behind the curtain
he only thinks he controls his days

every day is unpredictable, darling
you’ve just had the blinds ripped off
the rug pulled out from under
your wings clipped

This too shall pass
she thinks with a wicked laugh
and what comes next will, too
so round and round we go
until we, dizzy, die

I feel thin, Bilbo said,
stretched like butter
over too much bread.

I need a holiday.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about anxiety, poems about challening times, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

10 – Tribute

There was no time
for gratitude
or remembrance

how the bees
loved her in spring,
the blossoms
full of promise

how the Robins
sought refuge in her
abundant branches,
suffered storms
raised families

no time hold
the memory
of her sweet fruit,
consider
its ripeness
one last time

to thank her for
summer shade,
the filigree
of shadows,
the soft
unexpected breezes

nor even to
regard the lichen
and velvety moss
that gathered
in her neglect,
embraced her
unpruned limbs

One hopes
the axman
soothed her,
that the
Jays and Doves
were nearby
comfort

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, poems about nature, poems about the anthropecene, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

9 – Old(ish) Woman Walking

It’s a snake and turtle day at the pond
66° and everything seems enchanted

suddenly!

except my winter hips
which long for the agile ease
of the black racer

except my worried brain
that envies the tranquil turtle
and its sunshine meditations

but my ears still hear
know the garter under leaves
understand the ire of the wren
the wingbeats of the heron

my heart still marvels at the
osprey’s enthusiasm
to sing love songs
for yet another season

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, poems about aging, poems about nature, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

8 – Wit’s End

The path
to Wit’s End
starts wide
and unexpected,
beckons you
with promises of
Hope Ahead >>

There are steep hills
built high on
Anticipation
followed by
dark valleys of
Disappointment
that eventually lead to
a narrow rocky path
marked
Just Keep Going >>

eerily dark
day or night,
its brambles making
forward movement
near impossible
its Switchbacks
and Turn-Arounds
keeping you
sufficiently
dizzy enough
not to notice
you’ve arrived

Wit’s End

breathless
heart pounding
Fight or Flight
muscles
glistening

wondering do you
follow
This Way >>
one more time
or jump?

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo by kublizz. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

7 – Kismet

She is a peculiar cat
full of spice
with an innate
determination
and
confidence
Said “I am here”
the first day
without qualm
and has been
persistent since

I wonder sometimes
how she came to me
what wheel was spun
in the great
Cat Distribution System
that put two and two
together to make
she and me here
at this particular
moment in time
that demands
my own resolve
and fortitude
asks me to lean in hard
like she does, often,
insisting
I belong here too.

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Photo: Molly helping me write this poem. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, cat poems, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

6 – String Theory

I am most envious
of the cat
sleeping
who knows not
the
long lists
or burdens
besides
the
particular
angle
of the stranded
string
its shadow
enough to
contemplate
for this day.

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. Image: Woman, Cat and String, Will Barnet. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, cat poems, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

5 – If someone walked into your heart what would they see?

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 5, 2024
No Comments on 5 – If someone walked into your heart what would they see?

Or: When a Writing Prompt Takes You to a Battleground

The poet’s
skin soft from age
(perfumed in
Calvados perhaps)
knows the pulse
of waves
beneath her
feels how they
beat within, too
remembers well
the stories
and great heroics
of trust
and love
walks now
a gravely path
to an expanse
of cratered lawn
where ghosts
commune
in whispers
and tears are
only memory
reflected in
the morning rain
where sharp wires
— a final kindness —
keep her safe
from another fall.

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne, recollecting a trip to Pointe du Hoc. Photo: Pointe du Hoc, courtesy of the World War II Foundation. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Haiku, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

4 – Witching Hour

Folklore says
the witching hour
arrives between
midnight and four,
but I beg to differ

I will tell you
with no uncertainty
that the devil appears
sometime between
7 and 9
as regular as the sun
in a wild cacophony
of sounds and alerts

hoof beats and
tire beats
engines roaring
bass thumping

Pavlovian dings
for here! no there!
over there!
and here!

Cursed notifications
and incoming calls
and speech bubbles
that

pop! pop! pop!
bang! bang! bang!

Headlines
and Bylines
and Subject Lines

It’s mischief
and madness
and mechanisms
seeping through
the heavens of morning
that only
the most wicked
could fashion

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. IMAGE: Wikicommons. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Haiku, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

3 – Rain: A Haiku

some will say the rain

come again some other day —

not spring buds (or me)

Poem ©2024, Jen Payne. IMAGE: 1933, Kawarazaki Kodo, woodcut tulips. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Haiku, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poems, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

2 – To Be or Not to Be a Poet

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 3, 2024
No Comments on 2 – To Be or Not to Be a Poet

He uses a word
I should know
should be able to define

provide example,
one of my own even

(poet, my ass)

To be, or not to be

like the woman next to him —
roll up a sleeve
to show my favorite lines
inked in perpetuity

So I make a note
That is the question

But shouldn’t I come equipped
with the tools of my trade?

The rhyme. The reason. The rhythm.

Emily etched on a forearm
I’m nobody.

But am I a poet?
Really?

And what am I making
of this wild and precious life?

Two roads diverged
and I found myself lost

wandered lonely as a cloud
until the word pulled me back

said LOOK ME UP!
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

Until you find your way back
full of sound and fury

Poem and photo ©2024, Jen Payne. With thanks to William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, and William Wordsworth. IMAGE: Still life with skull, candle and book, Paul Cezanne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, Poetry

Memoir National Poetry Month Nature Poetry Writing

1 – April arrives in flames

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 1, 2024
No Comments on 1 – April arrives in flames

April arrives in flames

bright plumes on the horizon

and it

without the benefit of sirens

instead inspires birdsong

and the slow rumble roar

of the long

awakening

so I drop and roll

in the field

press my ear against the ground

to hear the millions yield

their sound

the bulb and bird and beetle

how we go

too

from smoke to red hot fire

the days from start to end

burning holes

through quiet

Poem and photo ©2024, Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, nature poetry, Poetry, spring poetry

Creativity

#30 – Vacation

#30 – Vacation

It’s hard to be

come what may

on the last day

this gray area

between here

and there

every movement

with its purpose

with its label of last

instead of a careless toss

there is a careful folding

of what we thought to bring

and treasures found

the kneel to check for things

that one last time

feels like prayer

please, god,

let me have one more day

amen

Photo (Cape Cod, MA) & Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod

Creativity

#29 – What will make a bookmark…

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date May 2, 2022
3 Comments on #29 – What will make a bookmark…

#29 – What will make a bookmark…

I have a bookmark box.

(Do you?)

In it, a random set

of handmade helpers

who save pages for me,

say YOU WERE HERE

as a reminder.

(But I dogear, too, much to their chagrin.)

When not nearby

or in a pinch

a gum wrapper maybe or

ribbon

feather

fob

once, a pressed ginkgo leaf

often, a friend’s cross-stitch

sometimes, his father’s 3×5 notecards
from New Guinea c. 1936

most recently, a note from my host to please remove my shoes before climbing up the ladder to the loft where I read Mary Oliver by moonlight.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod

Creativity

#28 – Camouflage

#28 – Camouflage

A lone spring peeper

disclosed its location

by chorus too soon

then disappeared —

so I hid behind

my walking stick

hoping to mimic a tree,

share in its secret song

one more time.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod

Creativity

#27 – I saw a secret to share

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date May 1, 2022
No Comments on #27 – I saw a secret to share

#28 – I saw a secret to share

it’s my secret

here

this wide beach

this wide, wild ocean

the wind, waves,

white caps

Whales!

(shhhhh!)

there, at the horizon

*p*

{ applause }

shhhh!

Whales!

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod

Creativity

#26 – JOY!

JOY!

How does one not

clap for

JOY!

at the sight of

one

whale

breaching?

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month, poems about Cape Cod

Creativity

#25 – Goddess of Mercy & Compassion

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 30, 2022
No Comments on #25 – Goddess of Mercy & Compassion

GODDESS OF MERCY & COMPASSION

the moon

at 3

whispered

I am here with you

cast its benevolence

danced

with the stars

above the

windowsill goddess

She pointing up

with great compassion

says her mercy

will not wane

together we bear

hardship —

here, let me help you…

Photo/Collage & Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#24 – Room of Books

ROOM OF BOOKS

I live in a room

of books

their authors here

or gone

their final breaths

on my pages

remembered or

forgotten

is by luck

of the draw

their posterity

(and mine)

feat of might

or feast of mites

you decide.

Photo & Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#23 – chills are a stress response

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 24, 2022
3 Comments on #23 – chills are a stress response

chills are a stress response

the wave hits
like a surprise
makes me
shiver
hug myself
as it takes
the ground
beneath my feet
leaves me
precarious
balancing

laugh?
cry?

start the day
no matter

there’s a
come and go
to everything
an ebb
and flow

remember?

Photo by Hrvoje Abraham Milićević, Pexels. Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#22 – You Spin Me Right Round (for Earth Day)

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 23, 2022
No Comments on #22 – You Spin Me Right Round (for Earth Day)

You Spin Me Right Round (for Earth Day)

From my window
all I need to know of Earth
this morning:
her ombré sky indecisive
her sun bold no matter
glowing green buds of spring /
that flash of red? a cardinal
who was singing just a moment ago
a duet     like a record baby
spider spinning another masterpiece
as shadows fly across the lawn
they bob and weave and somersault
punctuated by
bee     bee    bee    bee
the pond ripples with morning traffic
turtles and ducks and frogs
peep   peep    peep
while the trees in unison sing
Watch Our Here I Come!

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#21 – Surface Tension

Surface Tension

what is the surface tension

of water that rises

before a storm

that great heave of breath

right

the

tipping

point

before breakwater

and beach

conceded the flood

what begets her

saturation point

when enough

is too much to bear?

Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#20 – Lip Twitch (So Sayeth Dr. Google)

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 21, 2022
No Comments on #20 – Lip Twitch (So Sayeth Dr. Google)

Lip Twitch (So Sayeth Dr. Google)

caffeine
specifically: caffeine intoxication

mixed brain signals
(i.e. pandemic, politics, Putin)

[insert opening scene from Jaws]

STRESS!

fight or flight!
fight or flight!
fight or flight!

~~drugs~~
~~narcotics~~

potassium deficiency

hormone deficiency
(fuck you menopause)

parathyroid
(paragliding accident?)
(guilty of too much paraphrasing?)

hemifacial spasm
Bell’s palsy

Trauma
Tourette Syndrome
Parkinson’s Disease
ALS

TUMOR!

“Takeaway: Lip twitching is normally harmless.”

Image: Mouth (Brigitte Bardot’s Lips) by Gerhard Richter. Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#19 – Morning Respite from the Fray

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 19, 2022
No Comments on #19 – Morning Respite from the Fray

Morning Respite from the Fray

Tempest at 3

with winds that

blew away dreams

but saved the tree

left us writing

by lamplight

and you

wanting to play —

how you love a good shadow

love the tease of a pen

on paper scratching —

until day broke

our moment

the beast arose

chased the tempest

back from the day

its tasks now swollen

and barely as sweet.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#18 – One of a Thousand Lives

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 18, 2022
1 Comment on #18 – One of a Thousand Lives

One of a Thousand Lives

One sea gull drops its catch on the rocks

and I think there’s a poem in that

but only the names have changed

since I last wrote a poem about the

one sea gull, its catch, and those rocks

that can be seen from the house

I thought for sure we’d buy

when it was for sale,

the year I wrote that poem about

the sea gull, its catch, and rocks

There was room there for

his design studio

and my writing space

for my art supplies

and his art collection — mostly Cape Cod,

our shared heart space —

He knew the artists’ names

looked up the owners of our house

they were artists too

and that life oh that life

was as beautiful then as this morning

the seagull having breakfast on the rocks

and I, in starshine, nostalgic

Photo by Kunal Baroth/Pexels. Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#17 – God: The Anthropocene Interview, Part I

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 17, 2022
No Comments on #17 – God: The Anthropocene Interview, Part I

God: The Anthropocene Interview, Part I

I will miss

the birds most,

said God

when asked.

He, like all of us,

has been wondering

about things.

Wondering if a

pandemic

is natural cause

and effect, or

defense mechanism?

Wondering if evil

simply becomes itself,

or rises from the ashes

of what could have been?

Wondering how He

became the excuse

for so much violence

and unkindness?

Wondering what

“act of god” or

“mass destruction”

equates to a

serious reckoning?

Wondering why He

gave the most complex brain

to homo sapiens and not,

for example,

the osprey, the robin,

the starling, the crow?

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#16 – On Easter

ON EASTER

It occurred to me

that an apt solution

might be to go sit

in a daffodil patch —

sink deep into the dirt,

commune with

the immortal blooms

that once grew

in Elysian fields,

become heaven myself,

rise to the occasion

or if not —

just return

again next year

hope a long sleep

yields sun

and sustenance.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#15 – Ghosts

I’m sleeping with ghosts again —

my shapeshifters life savers

throw me a line in a dream

Here! Here!

they lie down beside me

curl into my spine

rest a hand, lend a shoulder

faces clear as always

voices, laughs

I know you.

They are my familiars

taking shape and form

as Comfort and Consolation

reminders

of love spent and saved

stored in a cupboard

with sheets —

eye holes to see me

clear as always

buoyant

in memories

Photo by Ron Lach/Pexels. Poem ©2022, Jen Payne. #NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Month. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, life with ghosts, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#14 – don’t save me from this morning

Post author By Jen Payne
Post date April 14, 2022
No Comments on #14 – don’t save me from this morning

don’t save me from this morning

birdsong catches

at my hem this morning

pulls me into the light

I saw the light,

said the twenty-something

at the diner yesterday

I saw the light and I was saved

he used the word 8 times

while I ate my burger

saved from sins of the flesh

(irony there)

saved from celebrating too much

saved from loving too much

saved from seeing god

in the birdsong

that catches at my hem

Do you think Jesus was a vegeterian?
Do you think he danced with the disciples?
Made love? Oh! Holy! Night!

It’s sad to be so sure at 20 (so convinced)

leaves little room for magic

on mornings like this

and little room to dance

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month

Creativity

#13 – Dream 4.13.22

DREAM 4.13.22

I rub his bare belly

like a Buddha

it’s smooth and firm

and warm

he laughs

as a secret

street lights

stop lights

moon light

shows a face

I shouldn’t see

and I wake

hot

and tangled

wondering

if it’s just good fortune

or an explanation

of more than

I can grasp

Tags #NaPoWriMo, 30 poems in 30 days, Connecticut Poet, Jen Payne, National Poetry Month, National Poetry Writing Month