Michelle Garren Flye's Blog, page 8

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 21, “Success walks hand in hand with failure

Posting a poem at 3 p.m. today because I crawled into bed at 5 a.m. this morning after a long trip back from the school trip. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a chaperone, but I’m relieved to turn all those fantastic teenagers back over to their parents.

This fortune seemed to lend itself to rhyming couplets, so that’s what I went with. However, I am uncertain if there is a true rhyme for “failure” so the end, I felt, fell a little flat. Thus the title lol. Not to mention it somewhat describes my brain today.

Anyway, enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye Success walks hand in hand with failure.

It Hits a Little Flat
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Let’s take a walk, come be my guest.
When you get tired, we’ll take a rest.

Trust me, my intentions are pure!
Deceits and cons could not be fewer.

One thing only I must confess
I want your life to be a success.

Does my promise have no allure?
Then you may be doomed to failure.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 20, “Don’t be sad because it’s over. Be happy because it happened.”

This one is appropriate enough considering it’s my last day of my trip. I will soon take off my chaperone hat and put it on the shelf to collect dust. It’s been an interesting ride.

Hats off to teachers for all they do.

So I hope you enjoy my second (and hopefully last) bus poem.

Screen capture from Daily Fortune app Don’t be sad because it’s over. Be happy because it happened.

Ode to the Chorus Trip
By Michelle Garren-Flye

I have enjoyed your joyful noise;
the journey was even fun:
time spent with the girls and boys
playing and singing in the sun.

And now it is time for home,
It’s hard to say goodbye
but we’ll be there before long
so please don’t scream and cry.

You’ll sleep in your bed tonight!
Remember the friends you’ve made,
discoveries that came to light,
and this brief time will not fade.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 19, “Money is just a concept. People empower it.”

Short post today. I’m on the bus with 50+ people while I write my poem today. Keep that in mind as you read lol.

Screen capture from Daily Fortune. Poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye
Money is just a concept. People empower it.

Your Power
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Is it fame you desire?
Everyone knowing your name?
Is that what sets you afire?

Maybe you long to be rich?
That might be your game,
What scratches your itch.

Beware what you give power.
What you allow to make you tame
is apt to fill every life hour.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 18, “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still”

Not gonna lie. This isn’t my best effort. I’m on the road and have been up since six, will be up until 11 or so tonight. It’s one of those days. But I did manage to come up with a haibun inspired by this fortune.

Also, because I’m on the road and traveling with fortune cookies didn’t seem terribly convenient, I’m using an app called Daily Fortune. Here’s a screenshot of today’s fortune from the app:

screenshot from “Daily Fortune” app
Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.

About an Oak
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Did you know the oak tree roots spread out as much as 90 feet around? Imagine them pushing soil, slicing slow motion through earth’s surface, past the reach of the canopy of the huge tree rising above. All to anchor and support the oak’s magnificence in one place all the days of its life. Standing still and racing along all at once.

Oak tree emerges
Seasons’ passage grows your roots
Anchors you in place

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 17, “It is better to have beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear”

Before I talk about the poem I wrote, I will say that I am on the road for the next three days and so my blog may look a little different. I considered taking those three days off, but decided not to. I’ll still be writing my fortune cookie poems. I may be writing them on my phone, and I’ve made a different arrangement for fortunes than the literal cookies.

I was thinking this morning how very difficult this is. More difficult, I think, than any writing exercise I’ve ever given myself. I don’t know what fortune is going to come out of the cookie. I don’t know if it’s something I’ll be able to write a poem about.

I eat most of my fortune cookies in fear. But then I find peace when I post about it.

Enjoy my “Recipe for Happy”, inspired by today’s fortune.

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye It is better to have beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.

Recipe for Happy
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Happy has three ingredients, a simple recipe:
someone to love so you don’t feel lonely
when the nights are dark and long
and you need help feeling strong.

But that’s not all, no don’t think that!
You need enough to eat but not make you fat.
Pass on the fancy, the cakes and ale;
bread, beans and bacon will not fail.

Finally, you just need a little bit of time:
time to live and not be on an uphill climb.
It’s not hard to find, if you look hard enough;
get rid of the waste, the refuse, the fluff.

Of all these, love might be hard to find,
but a cat will do, so never mind.
Cutting calories is nothing new,
and how you spend time is up to you.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 16, “May you grow rich”

This one reminded me of an Irish blessing, which got me thinking how many different ways there are to grow rich. And that led me to the actual thought of growing something, which led me to my little sonnet below. It’s practically a jingle, isn’t it?

Enjoy!

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye May you grow rich.

An Ad for a Money Tree
By Michelle Garren-Flye

But why don’t you have a money tree yet?
They’re growing on every corner street
and they couldn’t be easier to get.
It’s an investment whose price can’t be beat!

Perhaps you worry your tree will not yield
enough harvest—true, there’s no guarantee…
But just plant it and see if you can’t build
trust enough for a great, prosperous tree.

Soil, water, and dreams are all it will require
to grow tall and strong with many green leaves.
In its shade you’ll soon find rest when you tire;
all of your worry and care it relieves.

With a money tree, there’s never a hitch
It is simply the best way to grow rich.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 15, “It is better not to speak of things you do not understand”

Haha! Finally a fortune I can work with! I both believe in this fortune…and don’t. Because while I try not to be a know-it-all and really don’t like those who are, I also think it’s possible someone may have something to say on something that they aren’t necessarily an expert on. Provided it’s a well-thought out opinion (and is regarded as opinion, not fact).

So, I took the viewpoint of an expert trying to hush up someone who’d like to have an opinion for this villanelle. And the villanelle form leant itself very well to this subject matter!

I hope you enjoy.

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye It is better not to speak of things you do not understand.

Greek to You
By Michelle Garren-Flye

Quiet now please, it is best not to speak
about these things you cannot understand;
I know you know to you this is all Greek,

so don’t talk about it, just remain meek,
and let those who do know get it in hand.
Quiet now please, it is best not to speak!

Nope, don’t even utter a single squeak!
Vital knowledge is too much to demand.
I know you know to you this is all Greek.

Okay, okay, come on and take a peek…
you might just as well know what we have planned,
but quiet please, it is best not to speak.

You know we will not stand for your critique.
Our plan, as you can see, is much too grand.
I know you know to you this is all Greek.

Like a little hen, don’t open your beak;
much better brains than yours are in command.
Quiet now, please, it is best not to speak.
You know I know to you this is all Greek.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 14, “Make serious decisions in the last few days of the month”

Welcome to Haiku Sunday! No matter what the fortune is, I must turn it into a haiku.

Not to downplay the difficulty of this one, but do you know the one famous haiku where the last line is “refrigerator”? Well, I sort of did that with this one because the first word that popped into my head was a five-syllable word. Procrastination.

The other two lines weren’t that easy, but I’m fairly happy with the result.

Hope you enjoy!

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye Make serious decisions in the last few days of the month.

Seriously
By Michelle Garren-Flye

opportune timing
is everything this month
procrastination

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 13, “Nature, time and patience are the three great healers”

Ah, these fortune cookies.

My counselor once told me that grief isn’t linear…but it does happen. It may loop back on itself so that when you thought you’d entered the acceptance phase, you suddenly find yourself set back to the anger.

So, while I agree with my fortune cookie to an extent, I also know it’s not a super simple process.

To make the writing of this poem even tougher on myself, I decided to do it as an acrostic poem. I’ve never actually managed one of those successfully. Until now. I think it worked. I probably need to rewrite it some but it’s not bad, actually.

Hope you enjoy!

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye Nature, time and patience are the three great healers

Going On
By Michelle Garren-Flye

How long must this go on—
every moment evokes
agony of loss and heartbreak;
remind me again that
time is our greatest healer

and nature will help fade the
clarity that loses its draw when
harking back to previous
eras only brings pain.

Help will come, but be patient,
endure each day knowing
authentic healing happens with
living.
Seasons pass, life does go on.

National Poetry Month: Fortune Cookie Poetry 12, “Never compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do”

I was stuck on this one for a while, but I decided to try it as a villanelle. That worked. Sort of.

Photo and poem copyright 2024 Michelle Garren-Flye Never compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

Winning
By Michelle Garren-Flye

I win again, don’t try to deny it!
My victory doesn’t have to be scored;
I won against myself, you should try it!

Numbers aren’t needed if I supply it…
but there you go, acting like you’re bored.
No matter, I win, you can’t deny it.

The world should rejoice with my win while it
is still fresh; I’m ready to be adored!
I won against myself, you should try it.

You can’t take it away or define it.
I know I have won, my inner crowd roared!
I win again, don’t try to deny it.

Now don’t worry about what that guy hit;
his score doesn’t matter, it’s my record.
I won against myself, you should try it.

For self-improvement this works, apply it
and your faith in yourself will be restored.
I win again, don’t try to deny it;
I won against myself, you should try it.