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Longfellow, online poetry, poetics, poetry, poetry prompt, poetry sharing, Sheila Moore, Shelley
Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
Tomorrow be today.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(Click on photo to see animation)
Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week’s Poetics. I am Sheila Moore and today our prompt is “change.” Don’t worry, there aren’t any changes going on with the Pub (at least none that I know of) but as Mr. Longfellow has so eloquently stated above, life is in a constant state of flux.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I do not like change. My childhood was fairly chaotic and consistency was lacking in my home. Rules, expectations, moods, and day-to-day events were unpredictable which left me longing for a world where I could wake up each morning or come home each evening and not wonder about what may lie in wait. Therefore, in my high school English Literature class, which is where I was first exposed to classic poetry, my instant fascination with a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley entitled Mutability did not surprise me.
Mutability
We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon;
How restlessly they speed, and gleam, and quiver,
Streaking the darkness radiantly!–yet soon
Night closes round, and they are lost forever:
Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings
Give various response to each varying blast,
To whose frail frame no second motion brings
One mood or modulation like the last.
We rest.–A dream has power to poison sleep;
We rise.–One wandering thought pollutes the day;
We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep;
Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away:
It is the same!–For, be it joy or sorrow,
The path of its departure still is free:
Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow;
Nought may endure but Mutability.
Shelley taught me that nothing ever remains the same except for the fact that nothing ever remains the same – a bitter-sweet lesson which I did not begin to embrace until I was well into my twenties. I still have difficulty with change, whether it is something as small as my work schedule or something larger such as a good friend moving away. The following prayer, ascribed to Reinhold Niebuhr, is one I often say to help me deal with life’s changes:
Of course, not all change is negative. For example, getting married was a wonderful and exciting change for me, and I am overjoyed when my kids behave themselves in church for a change. Some changes bring a mix of emotions such as buying a house or having a baby. For me, these changes elicited many feelings including anxiety, excitement, joy, apprehension, fear, happiness, gratitude, pride, worry, and satisfaction.
What changes, big or small, have you experienced in life? Write a poem about one of them and share it with us by clicking on the Mr. Linky below. In the new window, enter your name and the exact URL of your “change” poem and click the submit button. Please visit the other participants as you can, commenting and sharing as you see fit.
I will be away with my husband all weekend as we celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s poems when I return. In the meantime, have fun and while I’m gone do me a favor and don’t burn the place down – that would be a bad, bad change 😉
Poetically yours,
Sheila
brian miller said:
ok, so i had mad fun with this one sheila…got some Poe in there…a DJ and some politics…oh and some georgia satellites too…smiles. i hope you have a great time on your anniversary today, while you are away,we got the bar covered for you.
claudia said:
ha nice sheila…have a fun weekend and congrats on 16 years…and promised..we’re not going to burn the place down..smiles..
thanks for providing such an awesome and inspiring prompt.. can’t wait to read.. and really like the niebuhr quote
tashtoo said:
Congratulations Sheila! Wishing you and hubby a wonderful weekend. I’m going to aim for two in one, tackling staccato AND change. Changes lately have meant I haven’t been writing nearly as much as I would like 😦
brian miller said:
oo cant wait to see what you bring tash….double the fun
RD said:
Thanks for the opportunity Sheila…I have one from a few years ago that I think encompasses the subject well…enjoy your anniversary
I left my lighter at home, so the pub is safe
Peace, RD
claudia said:
oh there are people who don’t even need a lighter to set a house on fire…just some words..smiles
brian miller said:
that was some great story telling and nice grit in your piece…
kd sullivan said:
I hope I did this right…I actually already wrote something this week about change. It wasn’t a good change, but the change I made from being married to divorced a few years back…Thanks for the opportunity to share.
claudia said:
great to see you in the pub…and your piece is perfect for the prompt
brian miller said:
powerful piece kd…welcome to dverse…have seen you over at emily’s…
kd sullivan said:
Brian, I have visited your place from Emily’s as well, and always enjoy your writing. Your posts often make me want to sit down with a mocha and ponder.
Suzy Q said:
I also love Shelley. The romantics were my first poetic love 🙂
I enjoyed this challenfe immensly. The poem I wrote brought a lot of emotions up for me actually. Change is definitely a place where growth happens!
manicddaily said:
Sheila, many congratulations on your anniversary. Change is pretty tricky–often is positive–but no one really likes having it foisted on! I have a lot going on right now and not the ones I’d been trying to engineer, unfortunately. But a great subject for poems. Thanks. K.
(PS my picture came out a little grimmer than intended! But I’d already messed with it so much, just left it. I mean for a bit more smile. Will get those reading others’ poems no doubt.)
Brendan said:
Congrats on your anniversary, Sheila! I’ve had to say a barrel’s worth of Serenity Prayers to make it my fifteenth in my marriage. Lots of changes too amid the duration. Now I wonder if those changes were like prompts, helping me find the one path I call my own … anyway, that’s sort of the idea behind my contribution today.
brian miller said:
i do think theose little changes lead us to a path we call our own brendan…and really nice piece. today…
Victoria C. Slotto said:
Happy Anniversary, Sheila, and thanks for the provocative prompt.
hedgewitch said:
Well, I had a nice political rant in mind, after perusing Brian’s and Claudia’s hints about change being the topic–alas–totally doesn’t fit this prompt, so I pulled it–I am in the midst of planting fall bulbs and rebuilding a flowerbed–I’ll try to get a replacement up as soon as I can. I’m sure I have something in the cellar that will work. In the meanwhile, thanks for a great prompt, much more subtle than what I envisioned, Sheila, and congratulations on the anniversary. Each one is a milestone worth marking with that savoring of time together.
brian miller said:
hey we are all about change…so drop your change hedge…saw it go up was not quick enough to get there…
hedgewitch said:
Ha! That’s a first. I’m glad though, because i would have hated to delete it with comments on it. It will rise from the grave another day now. ;_) Nice take on the Poe, btw.
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Spooky, Wrote a poem this morning that fits into a theme of change!
claudia said:
meow…
brian said:
can you tell me the lottery numbers for tomorrow?
Nick Rolynd said:
Wrote a cool poem just now for this prompt. Dubbed it “Circadian.” Can’t wait to see what you guys came up with!
claudia said:
jumping over to read…
brian said:
dud wicked change effect with your form…
hedgewitch said:
Okay, I’ve linked something a bit more…poetic, perhaps? Anyway, it’s there, and it’s all about change, and now I have to get back to the bulbs and the mulch and the watering before the day slides away on me–but will return for reading enjoyment this evening.
Laurie Kolp said:
Thanks, Sheila. I don’t like change either… and I love that prayer. Happy Anniversary. My parents are celebrating their 51st today!
brian said:
nice…happy anniversary to your parents that is awesome! and nice attitude in your write…smiles.
patriciaspreng said:
Raising a toast to Sheila… Happy Anniversary and here’s to many more years =)
I’m taking a leap, going out on a limb with this one…
(not artistically, but you’ll get what I mean…)
brian said:
clink…cheers! for sure…
Ruth said:
Happy Anniversary, Sheila!
Beth Winter said:
A wonderful prompt and thanks for a bit of Stevie. I have quite a bit going on right now (changes… ugh) so I’m not sure I will be able to write for this one. I may look through my stack of poetry and see if I have something that fits but most likely, I will spend some time reading the brilliance offered here already. Thanks so much.
Enjoy your weekend and congratulations!
brian said:
thank you for dropping in today beth…hope the changes are ok…
Gay Reiser Cannon said:
Mostly reading a few today. Don’t have anything to link nor time to write anything new and this triggered nothing new. Most of my poems are about change, but then you’ve all read them anyway. Thanks Sheila for the prompt. Hope the anniversary trip is all you could hope for. Saying hi to everyone as we get ready for the upcoming holiday!
dani said:
happy anniversary, Sheila!
i LOVE the Longfellow poem! i’ll have to come back to visit everyone. great prompt!
brian said:
great to see you in the house dani…nice word art tonight…
oceangirl said:
Happy anniversary Sheila. I want change. I enjoyed all the poems you shared and the video. And looking forward to read some of the poems based on the comments I read.
brian said:
great to see you OG…you going to find us some words? smiles. thoughts for you friend…
Old Raven said:
Sheila,
This was provocative and fun … a subject with which I have significant familiarity. Excellent post, I really loved it. Thank you.
Steve Bertrand said:
Mine isn’t necessarily about a single change, but an entire overhaul of attitude, and a re-connection with the emotions and feelings I kept buried for many years. Over the last year has been a struggle as I try to classify the emotions I had lost for so long, but I am thankful to be for the most part residing in love and light these days.
Steve Bertrand said:
Although I’ve already wished you happy anniversary on your blog the other day, sending a wish of happiness and love more than once never hurts, so Happy Anniversary and congrats! 🙂
brian said:
i thought yours was great steve…i can relate on many levels…
claudia said:
like bri – i can relate as well..brought back some memories and emotions…about to write a poem about a difficult time in my life..
Bodhirose said:
Thank you, Sheila and enjoy your anniversary.
I don’t like change either but many times it has forced me upside-down–I get so dizzy!
brian said:
alright peeps…signing off after reading bodi……see the rest of you in the morning
beckykilsby said:
Thanks for the prompt Sheila..Change is great as long as it’s the change you want.. 🙂
I’ve linked one I wrote a few weeks back that I think fits the bill. Look forward to reading the range…
Seek the Sun said:
Finally arrived at the pub! I posted a short piece whose subject was the catalyst for major changes in my life. That’s when poetry, my old friend, arrived back on the scene and saved my life. I am forever grateful and know that endings always bring new and necessary beginnings.
brian said:
smiles. poetry saved your life…now that is really cool….
Skylover said:
A poem I wrote on Friday, which seems apposite to the theme of change. Thank you for the opportunity to read great poetry here.
vivinfrance said:
Mine is an updated version of something written immediately after moving house for the nth time. The update proves that change is to be welcomed.
brian said:
good morning everyone…some nice link ins over night…Poetics stays open all day …be back in a bit to check in…
Lydia said:
You are so great, Brian. Having been up all night I am now heading to bed and will begin reading from the list later in the day.
brian said:
hope you sleep well lydia!
Lydia said:
I said it at the end of my post but will repeat here: this post is so beautiful it is much more a gift than a poetry prompt. Thank you, and happy anniversary (my husband and I just celebrated our 16th in September).
Mine was difficult, because sibling relationships can be just that….
Sheila Moore said:
thank you, Lydia. I am humbled by your compliment.
David King said:
Neat challenge. Wide open with possibilities. Not sure how mine will fit the expectations.
brian said:
david you are an incredible story teller…loved yours
Beth Winter said:
Okay, I linked. It is more narrative than poetic but it addresses change in my life in a big way. I should have reading time today so I’ll bounce around and see the offerings of others.
brian said:
yay glad you made it back!!
Shawna said:
Claudia, thank you so much for fixing my link! You rock. 🙂
claudia said:
very welcome..smiles
The Noiseless Cuckooclock said:
loved poems on changes here,
beautiful theme, fantastic collection!
Happy Sunday…..Keep Changing for Better!
😉
claudia said:
great entries…managed to hit everyone so far and now going offline to spend some time with the fam. have a great evening everyone!
chanzibrenner said:
hey guys! check out my ”breaking dawn” overview!!!
wordcoaster said:
Mutability is one of my favorite poems–that third stanza rings true every day of my life.
Sheila Moore said:
whew – the pub is still in one piece – haha. good to be back and I am ready to do some reading. Thanks to everyone for the anniversary wishes and for sharing your poems with us. A special thanks to Brian and Claudia for picking up my slack this weekend. Love to all.
claudia said:
very welcome sheila – we had lots of fun in the pub – hope you had a wonderful weekend..