What does being a parent make us? Does it add another layer to who we are? Or do we just don a different personality for each role we play? Do we become ‘I Me Mommy’ at different times? Or are always each and every one of these? What do you think? Let me know.. Today, I explore the fascinating nest poem (or the segmented poem). But before that, some reflections on life and being I Me Mommy then and now.

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. I only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself

I Me Mommy: Then and Now

Blast from the Past: I Me Mommy – circa 2011

NOTE: This section is as is from my original post for this week in 2011 (the year my DD turned 5 – this little section written Feb 6, 2011). I am basically reinventing that post, adding the other parts to it, and bringing it back from the dusty archives.

Birthday Celebrations and Reflections

My DD is turning five this week – time certainly flies. I still remember the day when we came home with our little diva and a Power Ranger toy that she had got for her older brother (he is still thrilled, awed, and surprised that his baby sister got him a gift and that she knew he loved Power Rangers!). She has been counting down the days as soon as February 2011 started and has invented a song-and-dance routine to do the countdown that is super silly and super sweet and uniquely her. I join in when I can!

As we finished the b’day countdown for today, I grabbed the Life section of today’s newspaper (my favorite part). It has an article describing the empty nest syndrome poignantly.

Reflection on Rituals

Obviously, I have a long way to go before I reach that stage in my life but reading that article did highlight one thing that Andre Aciman points out so well in his article, “The best thing is learning how to give thanks for what we have.”

So I do sincerely give thanks for the impromptu song-and-dance sessions, the constant prattle of my little girl, the sound of the tennis ball hitting the wall again and again and again as my DS practices in the backyard, the ‘I want mommy’ for every activity that needs help, and, most importantly for the smiles that I see on both my little ones’ faces when they see me, the out-of-nowhere hugs and kisses from them, and them.

One other line that caught my eye was “Rituals are when we wish to repeat what has already happened, rehearsals when we repeat what we fear might yet occur.” I plan to create as many rituals as I can now while silently rehearsing for the inevitable of a tomorrow yet to come.

As Aciman says, he realized that over the years of parenting he realized that the most important relationship he had neglected was the one with himself. He says, “I missed myself. I and me had stopped talking, stopped meeting, lost touch, drifted apart. Now, 20 years later, we were picking up where we’d left off and resumed unfinished conversations. I owned myself.” This blog is my effort to have conversations with myself albeit the conversations mostly seem to center on my kids or their activities and joys! As I join my daughter for another birthday countdown dance, I realize this is me, “I, me, and mommy”.

To read Aciman’s article in its entirety: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06Domestic.html?_r=1

Fast Forward to Today’s I Me Mommy: 2024

Fast forward to the current time, and this is what i am writing. My daughter turned 18 this past week, and that empty nester syndrome that I wrote of as ‘a long way to go’ in the 2011 post is staring me in the face as we await college decisions for her. That tomorrow yet to come is already almost here, and I am now thinking of Aciman’s words about resuming unfinished conversations with myself.

The age of countdown songs is long gone, and now it is a whole different thing she is waiting for. “Mom, did the Uggs you ordered for me ship yet?” and “Wow, they are here already! I didn’t expect them so soon! Look, aren’t they the coolest and cutest boots ever?” And when I mentioned the rains in our area, the next countdown was towards the next sunny day (which was thankfully on her birthday!!)

Until that tomorrow arrives, here is to a few more days and weeks and months of being all that I am: I Me Mommy: in all my avatars. In the mommy looking for matching accessories for her grad night outfit, and checking to see if she is ok behind that closed door of her room for the umpteenth time regardless of the fact that she is sure to roll her eyes and say she is fine or that she will be right outside in that mysteriously long ‘one second’. The mommy in me will continue to knock on the door for reassuring myself and for relishing that fact: the simply knowing that she is here.

Poetic Sundays: Nest Poems Where I Explore I Me Mommy

So all this talk of i me mommy and motherhood and empty nesters and such sent me exploring for a poetic form where I could write about different things a little differently within the same poem. And I landed on the nest poem.

So the nest poem is different from the nested poem that I talked about earlier. Read on to find out more about the nest poem below and click on the link for more on the nested poem.

What is the Nest or Segmented Poetic Form?

A nest poem or a segmented poem is made up of several shorter poems that are connected by a common theme. This theme can be conveyed through images, references, and motifs. You could think of verse novels as really long segmented poems, where each unit/stanza can be read as a poem if you wish, but it is in reality, part of something larger.

The form contains separate discrete segments which have a common thread running through. It allows for flexibility in structure, enabling poets to experiment with different voices, perspectives, and styles within the same work.

This form is commonly used in narrative poetry, where each segment contributes to the overall story arc or theme. And it can also be found in experimental poetry, where poets can play with fragmentation and non-linear storytelling. This form provides poets with a unique opportunity to explore complex ideas and emotions through a series of interconnected or contrasting vignettes.

The Nest Poem’s Characteristics

So the nest poem or segmented poem’s elements are that at its most basic, it is:

• made up of any number of discrete, stand-alone segments connected by a common thread
• each segment or strand can be of any form by itself (one could be a haiku, another a prose section, and still another could be a nested poem or the cascade poetic form.

How to Write a Nest or Segmented Poem

1. Choose Your Theme:
   • Begin by selecting a theme or central idea for your poem. It could be anything that resonates with you—nature, love, memories, seasons, or even an abstract concept.
2. Collect the Strands for this nest:
   • Think of each stanza or segment as a separate strand. These strands can take various forms:
     • An acrostic: where the first or last letters of each line create a name, word, or phrase.
     • The Crapsey Cinquain: a short five line poem with 22 syllables
     • Found Poem: Use snippets from existing texts or conversations. or a cento (made up of lines from other poems – make sure you include references somewhere)
     • A teacup thesaurus
     • Prose Paragraph: Share reflections or observations.
     • And many more—there are countless possibilities!
3. Weave the Strands:
   • Arrange these segments in the best way you can possible. They don’t need to follow a linear order; let them intersect and overlap.
   • Use imagery, repetition, and connections to create cohesion.
   • Play with different forms and see how they fit together.
   • Revise, refine, and adjust until your poem feels complete.

References, h/t, and further reading

• Writing a Nest
• Loved this article about segmented essays.

My Attempt at the Segmented/Nest Poem

Here you will find me looking at ‘I’ ‘Me’ ‘Mommy’ in different segments using free verse, a series of haiku, an acrostic, a teacup thesaurus.

I Me Mommy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am not my mother
But I see her in my face
The lines around my eyes
The shape of my nose
The way I smile
I wonder if she saw me too
In those days that are long gone past.
I am not my mother
But I hear her in my voice
And in my words as well
Draping her favorite sari
Makes me see her in me once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What am I? I wonder
A daughter, a sister, 
A wife, a mother, 
A friend, rarely a foe
And underneath it all
Will I find me, pray tell?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amidst shifting tides,
Reflections whisper secrets—
Me – in changes found.

In depths of silence,
Echoes of self softly speak,
Me – in stillness found.

Within life’s tempest,
Steering through its many storms,
Me – in courage found.

Beneath shifting skies,
In the dance of time’s swift flow,
Me – in delights found.

A journey of love
Through ups, downs, ebbs, flows, and more
Me – in life I found

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A guide to be a mommy, let's see,
Must love them even when they drive you crazy.
Of course,  nurture their quirks, let them shine bright
Teach morals, like why socks belong on feet, elsewhere is not right!
Hear them out:, listen patiently to their tales and woes,
Even if it's about the most dreadful imaginary foes.
Remember, if you forget any of this, just wing it, go with the flow.
Hurry or maybe go slow, let life's rhythm guide your glow,
Of course, you can read books titled ‘mommy guide’
Or get expert advice from those by your side.
Duh.. just read this poem once again.. And you’ll be alright!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motherliness
Maternal
Caring
Kind
Radiates Warmth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Thought That I Hope My Kids Will Have 
   My mother is a poet
   She writes words that make me cry
         She writes words that make me laugh
                She writes words that make me think
                       She writes words that make me feel
                She writes words that make me dream
         She writes words that make me love
   She writes words that make me live
      My mother is a poet
            And I am her child

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Recently

On My Blog And the Homefront

Here are the posts this week.

• Quick Reads When You are Short on Time
• Love is Literal: Valentine’s Day Ideas Inspired by Amelia Bedelia
• Sunday Scribblings #175: Great Poems to Read Aloud for All Ages

On the homefront, my daughter turned 18 this past week (like i mentioned i the ‘blast from the past’ section earlier)! And we had a small celebration at home thanks to cousins who stopped by late in the evening with a delicious cake from a local bakery for her to cut and for all of us to enjoy!

Upcoming

On My Blog and Homefront

Not sure yet but we have a long weekend coming up so we need to plan something. Plus, the Cybils winners will be announced on February 14th so don’t forget to check out that list on the Cybils website.

This Week’s Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week of February include: Jacqueline Woodson and Judy Blume on the 12th of Feb; Henry Rollins of the 13th; Frederick Douglass on the 14th; Miranda July on the 15th; Maureen Johnson on the 16th; Andre Norton, Meena Alexander, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher on the 17th; Lisa See and Toni Morrison on February 18th
• International Book Giving Day is celebrated with Valentine’s Day every February 14th, so give your loved ones a book, any day this week is fine too!

Foodie Celebrations

• February 12th is National Plum Pudding Day and Oatmeal Monday
• While the 13th is National Tortellini Day, Fasnacht Day, and National Cheddar Day
• Then of course it makes sense that the 14th of February is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day
• Followed by National Gumdrop Day on the 15th of February
• And National Almond Day on the 16th
• Then it is February 17th which is National Cabbage Day.
• While the 18th of February happens to be National Drink Wine Day

Other Celebrations

• The 12th is Darwin Day, International Epilepsy Day (observed on the second Monday of February annually), and also National Lost Penny Day.
• Followed by Dream Your Sweet Day, Galentine’s Day, Get a Different Name Day, and International Natural Day on the 13th. This date also observes National Internet Friends Day and National Apology Day as well as World Radio Day.
• Of course, the 14th celebrates love with Valentine’s Day but it is also National Ferris Wheel Day
• The 15th of February is World Hippo Day and International Childhood Cancer Day. And it is also World Anthropology Day (which is celebrated on the third Thursday in February).
• Followed by Innovation Day on the 16th
• February 17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, and being the third Saturday in February is also World Pangolin Day!
• While the 18th of Feb is World Whale Day.

Multi-day events

• Random Acts of Kindness Week – Week of February 17
• Brotherhood/Sisterhood Week – Third Week in February

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon