National Poetry Month Challenge - Day 30 / THE END!

The BIG hoorah!  Today is the last day of the National Poetry Month Challenge.  Whether you've followed all along, or are stopping by for the first time for a glimpse into my month of writing a poem-a-day for Writer's Digest and Words Dance Publishing, hope you'll grab a cup of tea (or Sangria, if it's evening when you read this), and walk back with me on a trip down memory lane from my days at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Today's prompt was to write a closing time / Miller Time / calling it a day poem.  Here is my offering.  Happy Day 30 and Happy National Poetry Month!  See you again next year ...

Thursdays at Café Rosie Lee

(for old friends)

The sound of books closing, pens retracting

and backpacks zippering

signals the close of another academic day –

the beginning of Thursdays at Café Rosie Lee.

Taking three steps down into a cavern of warm, garlic heat

and the taste of creamed mushroom soup,

brings me effortlessly to my once-a-week world

of food, friendship and Sangria.

We play cards and talk about Shakespeare

with equal amounts of passion,

seated around our usual table in the corner.

Without fail, the staff at Rosie Lee’s

knows we are coming.

They prepare extra plates

of rosemary chicken and wild rice.

Laughter springs in bursts from Samantha.

With smiling eyes,

she knows the strength and bend of my heart.

Pauline has languid, bawdy stories to weave –

I could sit and listen to her rich, round voice all night.

Sheila brings life and light everywhere she goes –

making me believe that we could jump right through this roof,

if we wanted to.

We share a love of books –

the weight, texture and scent of them.

We console each other over exam-time stress

and demanding professors.

Living inside the words,

the laughter,

and one too many pitchers of fruity wine,

exists the struggle to know ourselves fully.

Holding hands,

and our breath,

we take a great leap into the unknown

with a mighty yawp!

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014