It’s NPM, and YOU are invited! 🎉 This is for anyone who’s new to the group. Today is April 2nd—the second day of National Poetry Month. I’m Nikki, and I’m SO excited to be here representing the Ink & Alchemy Community during this special month. @Jason Strickland from Art of Poetry has invited us to dive into daily prompts alongside the Alive Poets Society. Each day, we’ll celebrate with special activities! I’ll post all the directions for the day’s activities on my page, but be sure to follow all these groups so you can fully participate in the creative synergy. Yesterday, we shared a poem that started in Art of Poetry, traveled to Ink & Alchemy, and landed in Alive Poets Society. Today’s activity is an old-style poem here, in Art of Poetry and Alive Poets Society. **** Post your poem here and in the other two groups if you like. Feel free to post anything you like on our walls—it’s always welcome! Just remember to include a couple of sentences introducing your poem or song, sign your work, and add any communities you own. Ink & Alchemy: https://www.skool.com/ink-alchemy-2100/about Art of Poetry: https://www.skool.com/the-art-of-poetry-1080/about Alive Poets Society: https://www.skool.com/dead-poets-society-5071/about Today’s activity is penned just below this post. It is a old style poetry prompt ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ look below to get started Love Nikki

And I’m done with yearning, I’ve prayed for your release. Eternity denies me; Despair I have embraced. I’ve tolerated living, For decades I have wept. Forced to forgo my reason, and fancy where I am. Ignore despair so driven through ages it endures. Quieting the echoes of disillusionment, despair. Hope residing that I’ll find I haven’t lived in vain. That Heavens worth the waiting, that Heavens worth the pain? In bondage to existence, E’ermore I remain, Bound to mortal life, I’m here in- Foolish petty, games! Yet within the distance; I long for the grave. I’ve tolerated history… Until it’s all I have. I’ll not become a memory, An echo of the past.

Like the cycle of seasons, a friendship over time can be broken and renewed. I wrote this in appreciation of that process.. Thanks for reading :-) Bloom Again Sunlight warms the dirt, flower buds stir, frost melts away a hidden city unearths. Rivers hum below, plants pierce and grow, stability takes root, into our souls. The sun’s quiet eyes, petals trembling, innocent and wise. Branches once entwined fractured over time, leaves scattered and broken paths we no longer open Shadows linger, laughter once echoed, hollow spaces, broken petals. Separate seeds are watered, roots twisting underneath, separate lives are grown Something feels at peace Storms usher change winds destroy the pain rains wash away, and the sun renews again This is bigger than you, bigger than me we are the same Infinitely A spring bloom, a winter rain, streams of cool water running through our veins. We are not so different we are the same We bloom, we wilt, we bloom again. Nikki J Ink & Alchemy