Quiet Words from Heavy Grey Days
Grey Days & Small Moments
I haven’t written much poetry in the past couple of weeks, nor have I sent out any submissions. Nothing is seriously wrong, I’m just moving through a stretch of heavy grey days. Writing is difficult when I feel like this. Motivation slips. But I know it will pass. I hope it passes soon.
Even so, I’m planning ahead. One project I’m looking forward to is a 25th anniversary edition of my first collection, Broken Images. I’ll be correcting a few typos, creating a new cover, and adding some fresh material. Revisiting that early work is a strange but grounding feeling. It shows me both how far I’ve come and how far I still want to go.
This week’s spotlight poem, Cat Feet, reminds me that not everything has to be heavy. Sometimes poetry captures the small, fleeting comforts of daily life.
Spotlight Poem: Cat Feet
The soft bright morning
Is muddled
By dream interfering cat feet
My sheets stretch across me
As the kitty steps along my bed
I lay still
Waiting as he finds
A place that is warm and safe
He explores slowly and intently
Lying here for a second
Then moving on
Finally he finds current warmth
And temporary security
He stretches and coils himself
He closes his eyes
And I close mine
And we both sleep
Until the morning is finished
Cat Feet is about the gentle interruptions that shift a morning’s course. A cat’s quiet search for warmth becomes a moment of shared rest. It’s a soft reminder that peace can be found even when the day begins grey.
Until next time, I’ll keep writing, even if the words come slowly. And if you’re moving through your own grey days, I hope you find small moments of warmth too.
—Donnie
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