Three Men in a Boat – Oddquain poetry

During one of the moments from our lake respite a few weeks ago, my husband and I sat on the shore, gazing at the glorious sunrise while also watching three men in a boat float peacefully in the far distance. A poem was stirring but hadn’t materialized, and then I came across the Oddquain poetry format. So, below are my thoughts from this blissful morning, penned in the syllabic format of Oddquain…


Oddquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of seventeen syllables distributed 1, 3, 5, 7, 1 in five lines.

Lake
early morn
cold air touches warm
water, steam rises, halo
calm

They
hear whispers
the lake is calling
geese witness from shore, unseen
truth

Luck,
will it change?
floating on glass-like
surface, poles dangle with lures
bite

ball
of golden
tones ascents, bringing
possibilities with its
glow

Lauren Scott ©
Sierra Mountains

Thank you for reading, and here is my latest book, More than Coffee.
“In the midst of all the strife and ugliness and turmoil “out there” in our world, comes lilting lovely prose and poems reminding us that the simple things of life – a cup of coffee, a hug from a child, sweetheart romance, hugging a tree, walking through the forest – these symbolize the reality of most of our lives. P. Wight

Sky Canvas

The beginning…
Highlighted
Slipping, slipping, slipping…

Down by the lake, evening emerges with the fragrance of tranquility. The shore wears nothing but a few rocks scattered in its sand. A father and son hold fishing lines in their quiet space, hoping their luck will change. A lone sailboat glides by, pausing for the unfolding. An older man with hair the color of an egret leans against a stump. The clouds understand we wait with enthusiasm. To our naked eyes, their smooth edges have been highlighted as though the sun outlined each of their fluffy shapes with a fine yellow highlighter. Occasionally, trout jump out of the still water, unable to contain their excitement.

Then suddenly the sky displays an explosion of color: tangerine, salmon, canary yellow, brighter, and brighter with every second. We are transported to a dreamlike place where a painter gently swishes her brush back and forth on the immense backdrop, to the left and right, repeating with grace of an orchestra leader. Artwork in the sky. Can a presentation of the sun slipping behind the cottony clouds be so spectacular? The sun knows it is time for the moon to shine.

Lauren Scott ©

The Fine Points

Since the beginning of you and I,
we have bought thirty-three calendars.
I know you like your coffee beige
and that cereal is your feast on 
weekday mornings, but on weekends,
you’ll skillfully whip up an omelet.
I’ve never mastered the egg flip.
I know which of your shirts have hung 
around for the long haul and if you could
backpack every day, you would. If you
had a choice: flip flops or hiking boots,
the boots would win by a broad margin.
I know our children have the best dad.
You think you’re lucky finding me,
but I am the lucky one…
to wake up each morning with your
pillow beside mine, to witness the sun’s
first peek through the window, to vie
for blankets on a January night.
We are ears and rocks for each other,
having mastered the flavors and textures, 
while learning each other’s landscape.
But the depth of our devotion 
has not reached its full potential. 
There is more closeness to discover 
in spaces yet to be revealed.
I feel like a grand prize winner
in this thing called life 
where do-overs aren’t magically offered.
You and I became an Us, 
and as more lines come into light, 
as more grays persist, 
even if feet shuffle and bones ache, 
there will be more calendars to hang. 

Lauren Scott ©

This poem is one of four that I contributed
to the anthology, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships.
A beautiful collection of poetry
where twelve poets reveal their
most personal moments,
compiled by Kaye Lynne Booth
and Robbie Cheadle.

To purchase your copy, here is the link: https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK.
Also available in paperback on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry57jdu.

Thank you for stopping by,
Lauren Scott ❤️

Just a Raindrop

Do you ever wonder
who else is out there?
Living, breathing, existing.
Who’s to assume

we’re alone here
on our planet with stars

millions of miles away
shimmering in the night?
Maybe some being

ponders the same question,
wondering if it is simply

a tiny atom or molecule
floating in the larger picture.
Maybe we’re just a raindrop

in someone else’s universe.

Lauren Scott ©
Photo: Pixabay

We Reflect to a Deeper Layer

We are graced with their presence, beauty colors
our universe like an endless ceiling of bright blue sky.
Then one morning we wake with heavy hearts,
realizing they have gone, as though sneaking out
in the middle of the night without a word, their
existence seemingly nonexistent. Iron-gray clouds
move through that lovely cloudless sky like a brush
stroke of lingering gloom. We suspect the sun has
an attitude, refusing to rise. And each new day
magnifies the question: Did words accidentally
slip from our tongue landing like poison? Then we
reflect to a deeper layer, flipping a switch because
maybe it’s not us. Maybe it’s them. A surmising…
to soothe the bruises on our hearts.

Lauren Scott ©

Tender Reminiscence

Remember in our younger years
how you’d touch your lips to mine
while standing on the step
when we cold-shouldered time?
No letting-go desire of the
embrace that held us near
No care in the world was matched
in that moment that we shared
Who knew those doorstep kisses
would carry us this distance?
(floating in a state-of-mind
of tender reminiscence)

Lauren Scott (c) ❤️
Do you have memories
of doorstep kisses?

Shifting of Seasons

I’ll be off grid next week, adventuring with hubby and backpack in the wilderness. So, have a great week ahead and I leave you with this bright beauty and the moods of seasons…

Autumn admired the brilliant blue sky
Winter wiggled out of my sneakers
Spring tapped me on the shoulder
Summer’s hello, sweet as apple pie!

Lauren Scott (c) ❤️