Day 6 of NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo and it is all about line endings. The short and the long of them. Enjambment! Yes, the mind boggle of the poet in revision. To enjamb or not to enjamb? That is the question that has you shifting words up and down a line ad infinitum. A workshop at Lumb Bank with Carola Luther helped me with this quandry, but it still bedevils me.
To quote today’s prompt:
Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that stretches your comfort zone with line breaks. That could be a poem with very long lines, or very short lines. Or a poem that blends the two. You might break to emphasize (or de-emphasize) sounds or rhymes, or to create a moment of hesitation in the middle of a thought.
And what came to my mind was the Mindfulness Meditation evening group that my husband is running at the local open prison.
Mind Fullness
Breathe in
And
Breathe out
That’s the height of this mindfulness lark just thinking of nothing
Which my mother always thought the sixth impossibility of breakfast
Breakfast
Porridge and toast
Breathe in
Harmony
Breathe out
Tranquillity
That parcel wants collecting the tax needs paying my teeth are due cleaning
I hate my dentist
Breathe in
Buzz bizz whizzzzz Spit!
And
My stomach isn’t popping up and down like the nice man encouraging everyone says should happen
Deep belly breathing
My chest is tight
Breathe in
Go back to the breath
Breathe in
He says not to cork it. I’m corking. I’m sure I’m corking it
And
Breathe out
Breathe in
Breathe out
Just watch your thoughts as they crop up
Marrows, peas, comfrey, compost
And
Step into the gap
Mind The Gap!
(London Tube sound effects now playing in my head)
Breathe In
Breathe out
Breathe in
Some guy to my left just snorted like a pig.
Breathe out
Breathe in
Breathe out
Ting…
Ting…
Ting…
Time up
Shoulder roll. Look around.
Be present
It was definitely Dermot who snored
Had to be
Kettle on
Tea
Biscuits
See you next week!
© 2018 Bee Smith
Sojourning Smith 
Oh gawd… I’m with you. My mind is all over the place in my yoga class…
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My husband encourages to not view it as a failure. Just go back to the breath. Just witness the thoughts and go back to the breath. Really, really hard. But as an evening’s structured activity for a Monday this group is currently more popular than the poker school! Or so we are told.
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😂
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I love this and I chuckled about “Mind The Gap”. YES!
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I know! It’s been 20 years since I was in London. But they used to have recordings of ‘MIND…the Gap!’ Also lettered on the edge of the platforms at some stations. It really sticks in the mental junk cabinet.
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I went in 2016, so I can HEAR it in my mind! ❤
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Much about London has changed since I loved their back in the 80s. Nice to know somethings don’t change.
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