#3 - It Doesn't Have To

What is that?
He asked
sneering.
A poem,
She grins.
No.
It doesn't rhyme.
It doesn't have to.
It's free-verse.
A poem?
A poem that doesn't rhyme?
Free verse.
I don't like it,
He grumbled.
You don't have to.
It's mine.
Make it rhyme!
No.
Please?
No.
It doesn't have to.
I don't like it!
Scowling.
She laughs.
You don't have to.
I don't get it.
It doesn't rhyme.
Glaring.
It doesn't have to!
He pleads,
one more time.
Make
It
Rhyme!
It's free verse,
It doesn't have to.
He
S
T
O
M
P
S
away.
She smiles.
Tomorrow,
A Haiku.


- Laura Freeman -
April 3, 2013

# 2 - "Dear Lily,"

You meow and meow, my indoor cat.

You pace across the floor.

The birds outside, they beckon you,

You crouch beside the door.

The kids come home, and you slip out,

I swoop and bring you in,

You cry at me,

So pitifully,

Imprisoned once again.

You sit at our front window,

Scowling at the chirping prey.

I remind you that, last time you roamed,

You ended up

At the SPCA.

So you'll stay inside, we'll keep you safe,

You'll probably resent us.

But Lily, dear, you had your chance,

Before you even met us.

I wouldn't let my cats run loose,

With all the hazards that await.

Please understand, the indoor life,

For a cat, it can be great! 
You perch upon my counter,

When I sleep, you walk across my hair.

You trip me in the hallway,

You steal my warm spot on the chair,

You sleep all day, you play all night,

You go randomly berserk,

You can be the biggest sweetheart,

Or act like a selfish jerk. 

You are waited on, both hand and foot,

Food at your beck and call,

You sleep right on our pillows,

Leave hairballs in the hall.

So when we tell you, "Stay inside,"

I really wish you could,

Understand that we're not being cruel,

It is for your own good.

- Laura Freeman -

April 2, 2013

April Creative Writing Challenge!

Okay, I don't know if I'm going to be able to stick with this or not.  I usually save all my creative energy for November and then I spend a month madly writing in all my spare moments and come out at the end with a half-finished novel that I never look at again.  Yup, that's my style!

Not the best way to get published.  But a good way to write and hone my typing skills, I suppose.

Anyway, at the encouragement of my friend who two Novembers ago, got on the NaNoWriMo bandwagon with me, I've signed up for April's smaller scale version, "Camp NaNoWriMo".  It's a 'set your own word count goal', kind of a challenge.  There's also another challenge "NaPoWriMo", that I've never done, but my friend has.  NaNoWriMo has copy-cat off-shoot challenges all over the internet.  So, while my main love is November, I've decided to try a little spring time writing, too.

My goal is 15,000 words.  A third of the November requirement, a mere 500 a day (hmm... do blog posts count?).  And since it doesn't have to be a new novel (seriously, the camp rules are very, very lax), I'm going to use my 500 to write whatever the heck I want... but mainly to finish my 2010, 2012 novel, Undesireable.  By April 30th, I am going to have a completed rough draft.  There, I said it.  It's on the the internet, it MUST be true!!

Wish me luck!

On another note, here's my first creative writing burst of the day...

I have a friend named April,

at least that's what she's called online.

She wants to be a novelist,

Also a dream of mine.

I got her writing in Novembers,

My favourite month to sit and type.

She wrote a book, of novel length,

It lives up to its hype.

Now it's "April", two years on,

And its her turn to inspire me.

You see, her month to write is now,

It's a month of poetry.

They call it NaPoWriMo

A poem a day, not much, that's it.

It's not prose, it's hard to do,

I'm crazy to attempt it.

So here you go, my April pal, 

My first poem, it's pretty chic,

For our month of creative writing...

I'll probably fizzle out next week!

 - Laura Freeman -

April 1, 2013

A little spring inspiration

Warm breeze teases my pale winter skin,
As sun beams dance across the yard.
The sky is clear, a dusty powder blue,
The covered ground, still cold and hard.

The geese call out as they fly overhead,
Home from their winter's long sojourn.
A robin brightly greets the world, a sign
Of hope, of nature new reborn.

Tulips poke out from the frosty gardens,
To drink, thirsty, the new spring air.
Children emerge, and happy, greet the sun,
Boots and t-shirts, clashing outer wear.

I stand there on this lovely springtime day,
I smile at the welcome scene,
I inhale deep; the scent of damp, sweet morning,
It smells like dog poo.


- Laura Freeman -
March 28, 2013

Future bestseller...

I have an idea for a book.  It's going to be a bestseller (well, I'll buy a few copies, anyway).  Sort of an Erma Bombeck meets Bill Cosby book.  I'll have a series of essays about my children and the quirky things they say and do.  An extension of my facebook statuses (statii?  statusii?)

So far, all I've got is a title.  "Reflections on Motherhood".  And the cover art.  My smudged bathroom mirror.

Why is it that the easiest surface in the house to clean is the hardest thing to keep clean?

Why?  Tell me why?????

Baby's first giggles

I was sitting on the couch and had just finished feeding Brooklynn.  Her big brother walked up to her and said "GAH!" and we were treated to our first baby belly laugh.  This is what happened after I grabbed my camera, not quite the same as the spontaneous laughter, but still sweet to catch on film.  Alex is off to my left doing monkey impressions and saying "Look, look..."

Ignore the shaky camera, I was holding a baby in one hand and a camera in the other.  I'm no Spielberg!

Yay for baby giggles!!!

Kirstin's first dance recital

Kirstin's the cute one... you can't miss her! ;)