There once was a writer, retired
In her titles no more was she mired
Her life like vacation
She refused explanation
Character questions now so stale and so tired.
— by me, April Resnick
The Pool by Kristoffer Zetterstrand
This was inspired by a funny conversation I had with my mother. This one is for you mom. 🙂
“Like a note of music, you are about to become nothing,” Robert Bly
I am on the precipice of being played,
Pulled taut, prepared.
All of the making and manufacturing,
Has formed me precisely for this moment.
I am willing to be pulled from my rest,
Into that violent version of me.
With nothing then to do but resonate,
And fade away.
—————-
The music I make has changed,
With sitting still and age.
Sharp to flat,
Each tune that’s past,
Nothing now, but on the page.
— April Resnick
flirting With A Violin by Anna Razumovskaya
This poetry was written during my meditation & expression group.  Thank you for the sitting and dialogue.  I always come away from the group inspired.
Stillness before battle
A moment to be with my world
Before being buried in it
— April Resnick
Gettysburg battlefield, dawn by Hal Morgan
Everything I need to know about parenting,
I learned from watching Poltergeist.
When you are thinking of buying or building a house, perhaps just do a tiny bit of research on the history of the area first.
Falling asleep in front of the TV never leads to anything good.
Be grateful that there is no longer an end to the broadcast day.
When your child tells you someone “is here,” ask them “who?”
A pet dying while your child is at home is a pain in the ass, and rarely predicts anything great to follow.
Never take parenting so seriously that you can’t laugh when your child curses, but still make an effort to correct them even while you are giggling.
Be proud of your teenage daughter for standing up for herself, even if she has to be offensive to do it, especially so.
Take some time at the end of the day to chat, flirt, and “relax” with your spouse.
If your house violently shakes in the middle of the night, perhaps confirm with others that it was, in fact, an earthquake.
If your child is watching a TV channel without a broadcast, be slightly concerned.
Trust your dog when he barks at “nothing.”
Pizza Hut is always a good idea.
Trees WILL NOT, in fact, protect your home or your family.
It may actually be possible for your child to move through your soul…but beware of what might follow.
Know each of your children and what they can and cannot handle.
Threatening to spank your child,without actually having to do it, just might work.
Be willing to follow your child anywhere, to bring them home safely.
Do not necessarily trust someone when they say they “won’t let go,” but be brave enough to go alone anyway.
Never trust a stuffed clown. (A good rule to follow in general.)
The house is NEVER completely clean.
Never let yourself completely relax in the bathtub, when your young children are at home.
The hallway is always longest when your child is in danger, but keep running and you will get there.
When all else fails ask for help, scream for it if you have to.
Pick your battles. Perhaps driving away from certain danger is more important than yelling at your daughter for the hickey on her neck.
— by me, April Resnick
This is a bit of a departure from my usual creative writing. But something I was thinking about today: parenting, pets dying, and Poltergeist. My mother took me to see the movie when it first came out.  I was 7 years old, and somehow it has stayed with me, for better and worse, all of my life.
Today while I sat
Alongside sat my cat
We pondered and purred
And we listened to birds
He licked my arm, the bell rang
That was that
— by me, April Resnick
The Woman and the Cat 2, by Nikolay Radulov
Today the details are conspiring,
I’m not in control, they remind me.
Not human enough,
Perhaps human too much,
Mired in mess, back to bed, I’m retiring.
— by me, April Resnick
The Mess of Emotion no. 12, by Rim Lee
Partner, playmate, provocateur
I forget the power you hold
Transform this sullen sleep-walker
Into giddy, grande, and bold
Whether all alone and careless
Letting go and moving free
Or intricate instruction meant
To mold each tiny turn of me
You bring me living lessons
Self acceptance, courage, trust
If only I would not deny you
Save sacred space in me, for us
— by me, April Resnick
Paintings are dancing… by ribhu on deviantart.com
There is a daily grind
That whirs and mills the dust and air
So close to my fragile mind
It stirs and pulls at loosened hair
Somedays I sit and feel the breeze
Its gentle tug at all my cares
Let it caress me wantonly
But keep my distance well aware
There will be times I get too close
A finger snagged, arm yanked and snared
Caught and crushed between the stones
Left pulverized beyond repair
Best those days to just jump in
Deep breath, head first, without a care
Let it grind me down and then
Rebuild myself from powdered air
— April Resnick
Flour Mill Interior & doves by Michael Dumas
There are things about me nobody sees
Squatting over a tedious chore
Belly muscles relaxed and face askew
Not enough deodorant applied to mask
Hair a nest, not brushed enough to please
These are the moments I think of death
When no one will have witnessed my humanity
But these are the tiny morsels of time
That connect the minutes of me to the rest
Of the test of family and familiarity
I’ll take the majesty of these private moments
To have truly tasted the tidbits of my mortality
— by April Resnick
Woman Squatting by Edgar Degas
Vacation lens
Through which I see
Each carefully crafted stone
Laid by multitude of calloused hand
Or strewn by centuries of time
Once carried by shrugged sinew
Bowed and heavy backs
Built by thick layers
Of want and need and servitude
Changed briefly by virtue of my vision
Now quaint, romantic, inspired
I find myself wishing
This lens would find my home
Fogging and releasing
All those
Boundaries, borders, bloody minutes
Till only charm is left
Along with gratitude
To have been visited, distilled
The ghost of me imagined
Noble enough
For history’s sake
And ideally captured
— by April Resnick
Photograph taken by me in Rome
sometimesihatemycat 