Tag Archives: broken

Broken Concentration, for dVerse Poets, June 25, 2025

 

 

Broken Concentration

The words packed tight within my mind
seek the empty page.
They fly like hummingbirds and hawks
escaping from their cage.
But when all my empty places
I seek to fill again,
too many words rush in at once,
creating such a din
that nothing can be made of them.
I cannot restore order
in these alien syllables
that flood across my border.

I did not think these previous lines.
They just crept up on me.
I place words here upon the page
and thereby set them free.
They have no place within my head
where I had plans to write
a solitary love poem.
Instead, they spar and fight,
one trying to beat the others
to the front line of my mind.
Love words elbowing their way,
lined up in back of “pined.”

So “heartsick” steps on “passion’s” toes.
“Adore” runs out of steam
trying to reclaim the place
where words like it must dream.
I no longer know the purpose
that I set out upon
I fear the mood is broken,
my concentration gone.
The thought that any love poem
will come is now absurd.
Minutes ago I was in love,
but now I have been cured!!

 

The dVerse Poets prompt is “broken.” We have broken vows, broken systems, broken expectations, broken agreements, broken communication, broken societies. Especially right now in this world, many of us know “broken”. Will we be able to repair the divisions? Can we put the pieces back together? Can we recreate a better world?

 

 

Broken

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Broken

Though I can’t say that I’ve been missing
hugs and cuddling and kissing,
still I have a memory of
those intimacies wrought by love.

It is as though there’s some obstruction
probably of my own construction
that makes me concentrate on things
instead of all that loving brings.

It’s true that objects may be lost,
but still, it’s not at half the cost.
For it is when loved ones are taken
that one’s world is truly shaken.

When objects break, it pains our purse,
but losing people is much worse.
For when death rends lovers apart,
the thing that’s broken is a heart

For My Vivi Blog’s prompt: Broken

Infirm Ingratitude

(Click on photos to enlarge)


Infirm Ingratitude

Since I broke my arm and leg and am out of commission,
all my friends and neighbors have assumed it as a mission
to bring us over casseroles—two or three a day.
Way too many meals-on-wheels for us to put away.

Not one of us encouraged them, yet they seem to compete
in conjuring up mixtures that they feel that we should eat!
And though it’s rude to quibble over what it has elicited,
allow me to point out that all this food was unsolicited.

One concoction more has just wound up at my door
that I know my family is sure to abhor.
That the dogs and cats won’t eat it is our in-family joke. 
I’d put it down the drain, but our garbage disposal broke.

My husband says it’s wasteful to throw out all this food,
but I would have to chain up my picky-eater brood
and pry their clenched jaws open to get them to just taste
all this food my husband has said I shouldn’t waste!!!

Yet I’ve lately noticed that he, too, seems way less able
to consume the edibles delivered to our table.
So I’ve devised a plan and tonight is my rehearsal
for my plot to deal with leftover food dispersal.

My broken leg is slowing down the speed with which I dash
to sneak out after midnight bearing our inedible trash.
I lug the laden bags out with my one good arm,
hoping that my passing won’t trigger the alarm

to turn the backyard floodlights on to wake up all the neighbors
so that they can witness my furtive nightly labors.
Now it is my incentive to speedily get well
just to end this present culinary Hell!!!!

Prompts today are: chains, concoction, unsolicited, quibble, compete and encourage.

THE EGG AND ALL: FIVE PHOTOS, FIVE STORIES CHALLENGE

I am reblogging this blog on breaking eggs and unbroken yolks in honor of Word of the Day’s prompt word “Unbreakable,” which was posted too late to make it into my earlybird poem published earlier today!

https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/unbreakable/

lifelessons's avatarlifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown

DSC00387 THE ORCHIDS AND AMAZING LEMON SOUFFLE ACCOMPANIED THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR DIANA–A NEW FRIEND OF MINE AND A LONGTIME FRIEND OF SHARON, WHO PROVIDED MOST OF THE EGG-ASSOCIATED PLOT POINTS FOR THIS STORY.

DSC00395 SINCE SHARON HAD SPENT ALL DAY BREAKING AND BEATING EGGS AND SQUEEZING AND ADDING LEMONS, NOT TO MENTION DRIVING ME OFF IN PURSUIT OF GIANT LIPS TO PHOTOGRAPH, SHE REMAINED UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SILENT AS JOANN REGALED US ALL WITH TALES OF FILM MAKING AND DISTRIBUTION. SHE’S A GOOD STORYTELLER, AND JOHN (AS WELL AS THE REST OF US) LISTENED WITH PLEASURE.

DSC00397 DIANA, WHO WAS BUSY TRYING TO RECOVER FROM A CASE OF SHINGLES, WAS A VERY GOOD EGG AND SEEMED TO BE ENJOYING THE EVENING HELD IN HER HONOR.

DSC00399 MEANWHILE, SHARON, ALTHOUGH SILENT, HAD BRAIN ACTIVELY ENGAGED, PROMPTED BY JOANN’S TALES OF A HORROR MOVIE SHE PRODUCED AND DIRECTED YEARS AGO. NURSING MOTHERS MAY NOT WANT TO KNOW…

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lifelessons's avatarlifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown

There is a special beauty in the broken,
as though established beauty is being reordered–
the predictable broken apart
and presented to us again,
assembled by a different hand.

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DSC06826 - Version 2

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In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Broken.”

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Broken Date

 

 

Broken Date

Whether twisting my ankle or stubbing my toe,
it’s adventure travel wherever I go.
When I set out, I’m firm in my knowing
just exactly where I am going,
yet somehow I wind up in some other place:
sprawled on the cobblestones, flat on my face.

If I’m due to meet you but I’m a bit late,
if I don’t show up for our scheduled date,
I haven’t forgotten. For sure, I’ve set out.
I’ve tried to get to you, there isn’t a doubt.
If there’s a glitch in my trip’s execution,
It’s something for which I don’t have a solution.

At the end of the day, though I’ve missed our appointment,
and ended up swathed in Band-aids and ointment,
it’s a typical day for the accident prone.
Though I’d like to join you, I end up alone.
I boldly set out, though I rarely arrive,
and count myself lucky that I’m still alive!

https://fivedotoh.com/2018/12/28/fowc-with-fandango-adventure/

image downloaded from the internet.

Broken-hearted that after tomorrow, there will be no daily WordPress prompt!

Please Join Me in Asking WordPress Not to Abolish the Daily Prompt!!

I am starting a forum campaign to prevail upon WordPress not to drop the Daily Prompt.  Please comment HERE to agree with me and perhaps help effect a reversal of their decision.

Not only has it been an invaluable aid to me in jump-starting me in my writing each day, but it was also a way to find new bloggers to add to my favorites list. Without it, I will once again just fall back on my favorites list without much of a way of meeting new bloggers.

Please comment both on the forum and in comments below.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/broken/