Trip to Topeka

     So my father, who is a history buff, took me to Topeka to see the capitol building today. It's extremely ornate--22 carat gold embellishments, hand-carved oak, imported marble and so on. Impressive, yes! Necessary? That's the question that kept circling in my head as we took the tour. Why is all this opulence necessary for senators and congressmen? Perhaps looking in the mirror-like marble floor helps politicians reflect wisely on public policy? Hard to say.
     My children (13 and 18 years old) came along for the ride and my daughter commented on the John Curry paintings of John Brown. She's artistic so she could appreciate the effort that went into creating murals of the size that adorn the walls there. I enjoyed the larger-than-life statues of Amelia Earhart and William Allen White, two of my personal "hometown" heroes.
     I've got to remember to play tourist more often. I've lived in this town 18 years and there is so much I still haven't seen. Just this last year I ventured out to 18th and Vine to the Blue Room. It's so easy to get stuck in our day-to-day routine that it often takes the prodding of someone outside of our comfort zone to get us to change.

Playlist Poem

I've used this prompt with my poetry club and (full disclosure) I got this from a great website but I didn't save the name. Anyway, this is how to create a "playlist poem"

1. Pull up your playlist
2. Put on shuffle
3. Take first five titles and use word-for-word in your poem
4. Order of the titles doesn't matter

EXAMPLE:
My I-pod pulled up these five songs:
Nobody Home
Whiskey Lullabye
A Change Would Do You Good
Not Myself
Early in the Morning

Nobody home at my house
The floor is creaking,
Wind blowing
Each curtain flap makes me wince
Thinking it might be you.

I comfort myself with a whiskey lullabye,
Liquid gold going down hot and rough
Like your hands on me
Like your eyes on me
Wishing it was you.

My mama says,
A change would do you good,
But why would I want change
When I love loving you so much.
Though you’re not here to love.

The smell of you in the house
The print of your head on the pillow
The remembered touch of your flesh
On my flesh. I wish it was
Just not myself.

Early in the morning,
I wake and look and there
You are—smiling from the pillow
Next to me and our smiles
Join to form a new love.