November Exchange Complete! Enjoy two sample poems.

 The November Exchange is complete and being distributed now.

Exchange #3 features five poets total and three prompts for next month. One of these poems carries the tradition of Nichiren Buddhism alongside Plum Village, a first for the Exchange. I’m very grateful to Don C. for sending in three ponderous bird photos to use for prompts this month.

I hope the three prompts are good jumping off points for folks writing this month's poem. I would love to feature other kinds of photos or art for prompts going forward! Please enjoy two sample poems below.

- Jade K.

We Are the Waters of the Great Sea

by Piero F.

We are the waters of the Great Sea

Waves brought us here, to these shores

But here we cannot stay, except for a short while

We must return to where we came from

We are the waters of the Great Sea

Wrong Empty

by Jade K.

In the sand, at my camp,

on the beach, in the swaddle of night,

by a lake full of fish,

a wolf spider chirps

as she climbs up my knee,

and her eight eyes

see that I'm empty.

Empty of my girlhood, 

empty of my teens,

empty of every home I've ever left,

empty of every self

I've snail trailed behind me. 

It's because I'm empty of my past

that I'm full of now - 

full of kidneys, shit, breath, spit,

hope, a soul. 

But I’m still addicted 

to my own suffering.

I cling still

to the history of hurt

in my knapsack,

I turn my eyes inside out

but can’t see a single human here,

in the hollow of my mind. 

Only a light, dull, hopeful,

wistful, blissfully

stupid.