On the Dam at Sylvan Lake

On the Dam at Sylvan Lake
(NaPowriMo, Day 11)


She does not come here,
where once upon gravel-filled
cinderblocks, her soles
stepped, crunching ideas as
teeth into browned morning toast.


(c) Julie Bartha-Vasquez, 2013

A mist-filled morning view from the Sylvan Lake dam
(c) Julie Bartha-Vasquez, 2012

Notes on the Poem:
And here is my Day 11 poem. Again, I went with the optional writing prompt offered by NaPoWriMo, which was to write a Tanka. You can read about the form and how to write it here. I live near this lake. I realized I have not done much by way of -- for lack of better phrasing -- traditional poet-type stuff... Using nature for imagery, inspiration, etc. I've had this idea rattling around my brain the last few days, and the tanka prompt kind of shook it loose. I may expand on it. I may not.

I am learning through this daily exercise that when you can match your ideas with the right form, that's when the "magic" happens. --WNG