Fair warning: intense National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo)

This year I will again be taking part in National Poetry Writing Month (i.e. April) and posting a new poem every day for the whole 30-day month of April. I’m warning you now that these poems might be a little strange, very intense, wide ranging, emotional, personal, and possibly quite hard to read.

I have a very very very very important month coming up in April. Here’s what I’ll be accomplishing:

*Dieting and exercising to lose 2-3 dress sizes so I can fit into my senior recital dress (already got a start on that for the last few weeks)

*not eating dessert until Easter (Lent)

*playing piccolo and flute in the pit orchestra for ISU’s production of “Into the Woods,” which is eating up all of my nights this week and weekends for the next two weeks

*surviving VEISHEA

*applying for a ridiculous amount of scholarships

*researching grad school

*finishing at least 5 giant projects/papers

*traveling to NYC and performing in Carnegie Hall with the ISU mass choir

*preparing two giant ensembles concerts to be performed in the same weekend

and

(saving the best for last)

PREPARING MY SENIOR FLUTE RECITAL

5 new pieces

less than a month left

4:30 on April 27

less than 24 hours after the Choir Masterworks concert

less than 4 hours before the Wind Ensemble concert

All while taking 21 credits and working 20 hours a week

 

I’m usually too serious, but this April is going to be no joke for me. Also, I kind of hate April Fool’s Day, so I’m dreading tomorrow. A lot of people like to poke fun at me because they think I’m too uptight, it’ll help me loosen up, come out of my shell. The opposite occurs. Anyways.

April is crazy. Crazier than anything before. Possibly crazier than anything after. Pray for me, and read my poems.

Quotes:

“April is the cruelest month.” – T.S. Eliot

“Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.” – Charles Lamb

Simple Bordered Scarf: a knitting pattern

Something completely different and new, this is the first knitting pattern I have ever designed!

Simple Bordered Scarf
By Maggie McGinity

Use size 8 needles and some worsted weight yarn (4 weight). You can use slightly smaller or slightly larger knitting needles if you wish, though there will be some size variations.

Cast on 36 stitches

Knit 6 rows to form horizontal border

Body:
Row 1: knit all
Row 2 knit 4, purl 28, knit 4

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until scarf is at desired length. Finish on Row 2.

Ending:

Knit 6 rows to form horizontal border

Bind off

It’s so simple and wonderful! Of course, it’s just garter stitch bordering stockinette stitch, but still! I’m proud 😀

I used Caron Simply Soft in Sunset to make this scarf as a birthday present for my grandma, who turned 92 earlier this month. I’m hoping to make a PDF of all this soon and put it up on Ravelry, a mecca of knitting/crochet information and a wonderful world wide and personal database.

Quote:

“the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can’t tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble.”
-Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

‘Green Eyes’ (new poem)

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day. A Green poem. Enjoy!

“Green Eyes
By Maggie McGinity

Gather up
Reams and scraps
Everything, within these eyes, these walls
Etched upon
Never spoken

Eternal, ethereal, effortless, energy
Yours, mine, mild, moon
Electricity, crackles in me.
Stop. Stall. Switch. Something. Soon.”

Quote:

“green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you, must be out of their mind”
-“Green Eyes” by Coldplay

‘Consolation’ (new poem)

Monday has been exhausting. Start was terrible and ending is terrible and everything in between is wonderful. I don’t understand. I really need to

 

but it’s difficult. So I wrote a poem. This isn’t the big one I talked about last week, that project is taking way longer than anticipated, but this one does have an original art piece with it, and I think it’s pretty cool. Enjoy!

“Consolation
By Maggie McGinity

The dark and stormy places of my soul
Long for the control
And consolation
Your presence brings me.

Please.”

Art:

 

It’s hard to read, but the original models I cut out were designed by CosmicFalcon-70, and copyrighted March 2012. Since I’m giving credit, I think I’m ok? I don’t really have a thorough understanding of copyright laws anyways, but since I doubt CosmicFalcon-70 is a legal name, I think it’ll all work out.

Quote!

“He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace”
-“The Death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy

 

‘Thinking On’ (new poem)

Things to know about me:

1. About 60-75% of my quotes come from songs I happened to be listening to at the time I was writing a poem.

2. I’m working on a really big post.

3. This is not that post. That post will hopefully come later this week, once I’ve finished the illustrations I’ve decided need to go with it.

4. Today I got hired for a second part-time job this summer, so I will be working 35 hours a week at 2 jobs which pay fairly well and are in my field of study. Hurray!

5. I’m trying to figure my life out. If everything was conducted in interview form, I would be golden, but life is full of many more complexities, simplicities and subtleties than I know how to deal with.

6. This poem began as a filler to stand between this deadline(post EVERY Monday) and the poem with illustrations, but now stands quite well on its own. Might have something to do with the state I was in when I wrote the majority of it. I should try this more often. Enjoy!

“Thinking On
By Maggie McGinity

On what basis?
Responsible adult in stasis
Room to range, room to grow
But room’s just space when no one knows

Space is cold, a silent void,
A vacuum where all life’s destroyed
Unless contained within a sphere,
Some protective layer, or so I hear

On what basis?
Responsible adult in stasis
Timelines and guidelines
I’m making up mine

Hoping these figures and facts
Won’t be irrelevant
My perpetual lack
Every room’s elephant

On what basis?
Responsible adult in stasis
The daydreams are easier to fight off
But heart contracts a constant cough

It’s foolish, really,
And quite silly,
The days go on and on
While I’m left thinking on

The word on my heartstrings
Like a bell, it rings
Would were it with wings
I know it never brings

Anything to do
Anything needs thinking through
The way I do
All I do”

Quotes:

“It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
Heat of the moment shone in your eyes”
-“Heat of the Moment” by Asia

“The world is full of people who will help you manufacture tornados in order to blow out a match.”  – Shaun Hick

“If you never did you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.” – Dr. Seuss