Relax Redux: Empty Nest

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Tonight, one of my favorite blogs, written by Carol and titled “Relax,” published a poem that begins with the lines:

Tonight, I am missing
all half-grown kissing
–oh! I meant kittens—
an orange one, Mittens,

(HERE is a link to her entire poem.)

I, however, loved the original typo (or contrived typo) and challenged her to make a poem starting from it and remaining with that idea.  I promised to do so myself, and have, hoping she won’t mind my stealing my version of her first line.  Here is mine:

Empty Nest

I’ve been missing
that half-grown kissing
that lasts a minute
with chocolate in it.
Runny noses.
Heads of roses
picked off stems
like rarest gems
presented in
a tuna tin.
Priceless treasure
for my pleasure.

My life lacks
these loving smacks––
even a quickie,
albeit sticky
with peanut butter.
A parting stutter,
and then they’re gone
and off upon
adventures new,
away from you,
taking their kisses
to other misses.

I’m awaiting hers.  Are you up to meeting the challenge, Carol?

21 thoughts on “Relax Redux: Empty Nest”

  1. Under the mask..'s avatarRelax...

    Ha! I love it! As for the challenge, maybe tomorrow.. I am certainly intrigued! It was indeed a contrived typo.. I am missing innocent but real affection, uncomplicatedly shared in, all the way until finality. It was made of as much puppy love as of kitten love. 🙂

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      1. Under the mask..'s avatarRelax...

        Well, last night was the Northeast blizzard in which daughter and my grandson were driving home from his Christmas present concert.. I couldn’t sleep even after they safely got home. I didn’t work last night, but evenings, yes.

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  2. Pingback: A Menagerie, Take Two | Relax--

        1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

          It is an honor, Pradita. You are always welcome to reblog anything you wish. For some reason I seem to have a special conjunction with India right now. I was just in an anthology co-edited by an Indian woman and have met so many from there on my blog. I even had a mention in a Sunday supplement of an Indian newspaper. A friend told me or I never would have known. I was so young (19) the only time I was in India and met only men there and when I worked in a school with many East Indian teachers in Ethiopia, they were all males as well, so it took me a long time to figure out that I seem to be on a similar wave length with Indian women. Our government seems to be moving us back in terms of our rights. We may pass each other–you on your way up to equal rights and we on our way back to pre-suffragette and Roe vs. Wade times.

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          1. Pradita Kapahi's avatarPradita Kapahi

            I didn’t know you had such ties with India and know us so well. Yes, in some ways your writing did make me feel you were a little less ‘foreign’ (sorry about that, it just exains the feeling better) because you emote in a similar way. I’d love to read your articles and your poems. Could you please share the link to the anthology? Thanks a lot for sharing. Have a great day 😊

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