Author Archives: purplepeninportland

About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.

Missing: Spring

Posted on March 21, 2019

Written for:  Poetic Asides #476 – Write a Spring poem.  Believe it or not, today is the first day of spring (and my little brother’s birthday!). So write about birds and bees. Or break lines over the lack of spring-like … Continue reading →

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When Everything Stopped

Posted on March 21, 2019

Written for:  https://helenevaillant.com The end had gone on so long. Everything stopped exactly when the clock bonged twelve times, midnight on Sunday. Construction halted, buildings halfway up abruptly ceased. Most faulted the government. Jacob wandered here and there. Food was … Continue reading →

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What Came Before Birth

Posted on March 20, 2019

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub – Poetics:  Your Poetic Hum  (posted by Gina) “In September 2018, I bookmarked an article that fascinated me. It was titled: Is it OK to be a writer and a __________? Written by Laurie Patton. … Continue reading →

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mama said

Posted on March 20, 2019

Written for:  The Twiglets #118 – “mama said” recalcitrant child grounded every weekend ignores what mama says A mama sheep speaks and lambs form a line Said mama, ‘do not dare to go out with him,’ to daughter who rebelled … Continue reading →

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Moving is Traumatic

Posted on March 18, 2019

Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 – Prompt #239 – Motivation:  Nurture “grow and develop through encouragement” “Write a nurturing poem, or of a moment that had contributed to your growth.” When I returned to New York after eight years of living in … Continue reading →

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A Monk Ponders

Posted on March 17, 2019

Written for:  The Sunday Whirl, Wordle #395 Words:  fires, three, garment, find, bowing, writing, silence, wave, year, earth, rain, beam The monk bows, having taken a vow of silence. He possesses three saffron garments– all the same–pleasing for his needs. … Continue reading →

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co-existing

Posted on March 17, 2019

Written for:  Carpe Diem #1624 Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage . . . Shinbutsu-Shugo Kumano Sanzan combined the Shinto and Buddhist faiths into one, known as Shinbutsu-shugo (literally the convergence of Buddhism and Shinto). The notion that deities (kami) are present in … Continue reading →

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daffodils

Posted on March 17, 2019

Written for:  Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #75 Poetry Archive (2) Honeysuckle I invite you to dive into your poetry archive and share haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form that mean a lot to you. Please share with us why … Continue reading →

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The Humiliated Bird

Posted on March 17, 2019

Written for:  The Muse #47 Ah, here we go again.  Another St. Patrick’s Day, and I am made to look the fool. Painted up all green like that foolish gecko. It is simply not my color. She’s looking out the … Continue reading →

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Some Homographs

Posted on March 17, 2019

Written for:  Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads – Weekend Mini-Challenge:  Homographic Fun  (posted by Magaly) Today, I invite you to play with homographs, or words which share the same spelling but have rather different meanings. Yes, I’m referring to words … Continue reading →

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