∼ Loving every crazy minute, in love with just being alive, Inhaling destiny choosing meaning defying obstacles. No euphoric trumpet call when Loving every crazy minute. Don't forsake shadowy darkness, embrace tears of joy and sorrow. Daring to trudge muddy trails and even when sickness brushes by Loving every crazy minute, Embracing a quiet rhythm. Take long deep sips of renewal Surrender, let go of control, Whatever may happen is life Loving every crazy minute. ∼
This poem is a second quatern in response to Jane Dougherty’s Poetry Challenge #12. The refrain in this poem is inspired by Jack Kerouac’s words: ‘Be in love with your life. Every minute of it’. As I shared in an earlier post, these words are inscribed on the front of a journal I recently received as a gift.
Jane Dougherty’s guidelines for writing a quatern for this challenge are quoted below. Please follow the challenge link above to read her quatern and to find links to other responses to the challenge.
A quatern, if you didn’t already know is a poem of sixteen lines divided into four stanzas with a refrain that changes place in each stanza . The only other rules are:
Each line must have eight syllables
The first line (the refrain) becomes the second line of the second stanza, third line of the third and last line of the completed poem.
There are no restrictions on rhyme or metre…
©2016, All rights reserved by Ontheland.wordpress.com
Thanks Janice. These are very appropriate words for me tonight 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A crazy evening?
LikeLike
No, just sad, but accepting the inevitable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry to hear that…even though an inevitable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
a great poem, a great form and some really great advice! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Melinda — I hope I can live up to it myself, Kerouac’s core idea attracts me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is attractive, though the man himself had some serious issues. I read his book, the one he write in 3 weeks while high on benzedrine (on the road?) and it was interesting to say the least. He was one of a kind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I suspect his way of loving every minute of his life was not many people’s idea of loving life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He also believed that he wrote better while high. So who knows
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, who knows–that’s an age old question–whether being high is good for creativity 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never tried it; if it doesn’t work then, one is left with wasted hours and I’ve always felt that was too high a price to pay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a beautiful poem 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Love this positivity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂 I can’t say I epitomize it but it’s what I want to lean into.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this, Janice – an anthem to life I would say. ‘Don’t forsake shadowy darkness/
embrace tears of joy and sorrow’. So often we try to push away pain, problems and I am beginning to think that instead of fighting it, for those moments we do have to live with them, accept them as much as we do those of joy and happiness. Thank you also for explaining ‘quatern’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your thoughtful comment Annika. Glad you enjoyed the poem 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
THIS is precisely my cuo of tea ! Cheers to Jack !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like your enthusiasm 🙂 looking forward to learning more about Beat artists by following your blog 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome to the Club ! Cheers, Janice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you :))
LikeLiked by 1 person