I had so much fun writing after Joyce Sutphen’s Next Time, that I offered it to the Inklings for our September challenge.
Here’s what the other Inklings did with this month’s challenge (if back-to-school allowed for time to write) :
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Buffy Silverman has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Each verse brought a smile and a swelling of “Me too!” I love this prompt and your poem.
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Isn’t revision grand? Sometimes a single “because” can make all the difference, and sometimes an extra stanza adds the essential depth and flavor and humor you didn’t know you were missing the first time around. I’m picturing a mile swim with a bowl of ice cream at each end of the lane, no flip turns.
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I’m really enjoying reading these next time poems–remembering the punchline of jokes made me laugh, and I think we had the same mother’s posture advice! Great details in this one.
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So good to be back reading your poetry, Mary Lee. Sutphen’s poem was such a wonderful choice for a prompt. Needless to say, I love your “Next Time” poem with its gentle humor and agreed with many of the details. So relieved I’m not the only one who forgets the punchlines of jokes. 🙂 Instead of “shoulders back” my mom used to say “stand up straight!”
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Mary Lee, oh how I can identify with your poem! You captured so many of my “next times,” and a few that I didn’t recognize until you put them on the page. Now … off to stand tall on this mascara-free day!
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Oh, this is lovely – a blend of poignant reminiscence and determination towards a future we don’t know how we’ll bring about, but… we’ll be ready when it gets here.
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Did we all of a certain age get reminders about posture? I do wonder where that came from, but recognize it, among all your other “next time” promises, Mary Lee. It’s a marvelous prompt and has me wondering what would be on my list? Thanks for the smiles and best to you for “next time”!
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Love this, Mary Lee… It’s like getting a mulligan on life!
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Oh, I love this. This is a poem I wish I had written. Those punchlines, I never remember them quite right. Names…I used to be good at that. The tone of this is so real and personal. It’s kinda funny but also honest in a way that has me nodding my head and smiling as I read. Thank you.
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I love everything about this poem, Mary Lee! And I agree with Heidi about having a bowl of ice cream at each end of the pool. Thank you for this thought-provoking challenge.
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Oh, this is wonderful, Mary Lee. I will not be able to look at hibiscus bushes again without thinking of their “radio-receiver blooms!” Brilliant.
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There’s so much to savor in this poem, Mary Lee, and your revisions are spot on! I shared it with my husband, and we’ve now taken to using the term “radio receiver blooms” whenever we see hibiscus–which for some reason, has been surprisingly frequently in recent days. Thanks for a great prompt!
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Love this prompt and love your poem, Mary Lee! Great details.
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Mary Lee, your poem is wonderful piece to share after reading the mentor text. It makes me smile and makes me remember about the correct posture stance-a no mascara day is refreshing, just being me.
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Oh, is it possible I had as much fun reading this as you had writing it? I think so. 😀
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Next time I am walking by a hibiscus bush, I will call to it by your fantastic idea: “radio receiver bloom.’
Next time I write a post, I’ll be more creative with my words, like Mary Lee Hahn & next time I attempt a craft I will channel Mary Lee Hahn’s skill.
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