Senryu Poem – Eternal Pride

I recently learned about a form of poetry called senryu.  It is similar to haiku in that it is unrhymed and 17 syllables or less.  The difference is in theme.  A senryu is supposed to be a bit satirical or ironic, and to be about human nature or human artifacts.

Artifacts?  That’s right up my alley of interest! 

I was looking through my personal photos from my trip to Egypt, and one really stuck in my mind.  The Sphinx, which of course I wrote about earlier.  But this time, I focused on the face of the Sphinx.  There are certainly some interesting stories about how the great statue lost it’s nose.  Yet, I can’t help but think of one particular old adage when I look at the massive chip in the stone features: “cut off your nose to spite your face”.

So, here is my first (and hopefully not too lame) attempt at a senryu poem about spite.

Profile of the Sphinx

rigid with cold pride,

yet spitefully nosing

into the sharp sand

by

Lynda Gail Alfano

New Poem – Sphinx Meditation

I finally found my old files from my January 2007 trip to Egypt.  The trip of a lifetime.  So many experiences to share…including a very spiritual experience in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid.  But I’ll share that story at a later date.

Today, I’m just going to point you toward a copy of a poem that sprang from my mind during a meditation my tour guide led as we all sat in between the great paws of the Sphinx.  I felt profoundly lucky that our group did receive permission to enter the Sphinx enclosure.

Meditating next to the Sphinx in Egypt

That’s all for today.  I need to spend my afternoon trying to figure out how to redirect my domain name to this blog site.  My old website has lived out its usefulness, I’m afraid.

Eternally,

Lynda Gail Alfano

Poem – The Beacon

Check out a recent poem I wrote.  Click on My Poetry in the column at the right.  It was my first attempt at poetry in…probably 20 years!

It is likely an obvious poem.  The word choices and phrasing are all chosen to illustrate a “cycle of life”.  My inspiration for the poem came from helping a friend deal with a life-changing problem.  And don’t we all have those….life-changing problems?

In a score of years, I’ll be facing both “empty nest” and probably “menopause” at the same time.  That should be exciting.

But enjoy the poem.  It is short, but every word has meaning and clarity.  The photo I’ve included with it was taken by my very talented sister Judy.  This particular picture of the Boca Chita Lighthouse in Florida was the photo Judy used on the cover of her first annual Calendar.  She’s working on this year’s calendar already.  Check out her calendar and her many beautiful galleries at:

http://www.janthinaimages.smugmug.com/

Eternally,

Lynda Gail Alfano

Immortal Diva

A Writer…At Last!

I recently finished my first fully polished and critiqued manuscript!

My heart soared with a surge of energy as a huge smile broke across my face. Goosebumps tingled across my arms as a feeling of pride rippled like waves across the ocean. For just a moment, my mind was amazed at the accomplishment and wondered if anyone else had ever felt this way before. Of course, many have. It is the exact moment a writer is first born.

Like an infant leaving the womb, so came the next question: What next??

I kept comparing my feelings to those I felt after giving birth to my first child. Those joyous hours in the hospital as nurses rushed around caring for my son: changing his diapers, bringing him to me, taking him back to his little plastic cradle, checking him over and over again. Then, came the moment. THE moment. You’ve tucked the little cherub into that brand new fancy car carrier and buckled yourselves into the front seat. Then, we looked backward at the infant carrier, and it hit us.

We had absolutely NO idea what to do next!

Now, I sit again in front of my laptop, clicking in and out of various portals of social communication. I’ve checked my website, various emails, a Twitter account, and my writer’s Yahoo group. I’m toying with the idea of a Facebook page and wondering what the heck anyone would want to know about me in the first place. I’m looking backwards at my manuscript all tucked up safely in it’s blue digital folder, and it hits me.

Now what?!

Well, I guess it’s like a child. I gave it life. I fed it with characters and plot, and nurtured it with constant editing and polishing. Now, it is ready to graduate and enter the big wide world all on its own. It’s success and survival will undoubtedly leave the safety of my fingertips…of my ability to control it.

A broad smile crosses my face again as power surges across my soul.

Oh, how I love a good challenge!

Eternally,

Immortal Diva