Tag Archives: acrostic

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SOLC Day 20: Insomnia

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March 2020 SOLC–Day 20
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org

Yesterday, I read a post about dealing with interrupted sleep in these trying times. I  deeply sympathized with the writer, as I’ve had plenty of experience with middle-of-the-night wakefulness. Incredibly, I’ve been sleeping well lately, and I’ve been very grateful for that… that is, until last night. Is insomnia catching?

At any rate, when I can’t sleep at night and my mind is whirling, I tend to write acrostic poems, entitled Insomnia. It’s a good distraction from less welcome thoughts, and usually lulls me back to sleep. (Not a ringing endorsement for my poetry, but quite welcome in the wee hours!) Typically, as I fall asleep, the poems fade away into darkness. Sometimes they stick around and I revisit them in the morning. They all have the same catchy title (I’m not particularly clever with titles at the best of times!), and I’m sad to say that I’ve already amassed quite a collection.

Last night this go-to strategy wasn’t working as well as usual. My mind was ramping up, not winding down. Finally, I grabbed a pen and note book. In the glow of my bedside clock, I scribbled the lines down. After that, I read for a while (under the covers with a book light so I didn’t disturb my husband) and finally, I fell back asleep.

This morning, I was quite interested to read what I’d written last night.

90562355_1586168964840535_787034516265893888_nThe first thing I noticed when I opened the notebook is that I need a new bedside pen. Then, I realized I’d omitted the second “I” in insomnia. Oops. That wasn’t the only spelling error either, though it was the most egregious one. Also, along with my spelling, my handwriting deteriorated as I moved down the page. It was practically illegible at the end.

I revised the acrostic  a bit this morning and here it is. Hopefully it’s the last one I write for a while!

Insomnia

In the pulsing darkness
Night creatures stir
Sounds, once invisible, leap into prominence
Once-vivid colors mute to grey, sliding shadows
My scattered thoughts rumble ominously
Not heeding my call to stand down
Instead they amass, assemble in force, and
Attack

©Molly Hogan, 2020

Wishing you peaceful nights of sleep!

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“Acrostics”

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This month’s DMC challenge was posed by Canadian poet, Jane Whittingham. During a delightful interview with Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty, she invited readers to write an acrostic about themselves– “a little ditty about you!”

The acrostic form feels like a perfect fit for these first frantic back-to-school days. I find my mind fiddling away at different possibilities, especially when I wake in the middle of the night–which happens more than I’d like to admit!

As I played around with the challenge, I found that I was changing things up a bit and creating small fictional scenes. I also was loose with the acrostic form. While I’m still deciding if they “fit” the prompt or not, I thought I’d share two of the poems here. (WordPress was not playing nice, so I had to get a bit creative to include indents–please excuse the cut-and-paste look!)

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Laura Purdie Salas is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup at her blog, Writing the World for Kids. She’s offering a peek at her newest book (a delight!) and the opportunity to win a signed copy. Make sure to stop by and check it out and visit the Roundup as well.