🌿 NaPoWriMo Day 13: Inspired by Donald Justice’s “There is a gold light in certain old paintings”
Today’s poem explores memory, art, and the way moments—like brushstrokes—blur and echo in the mind. Following Justice’s self-invented form, each stanza holds six lines of twelve syllables. End words repeat across lines two & four, and five & six. This form invites a meditative, almost musical rhythm to the reflection.
“The Gold Light in Quiet Rooms”
The gold light arrives through the crack in the heavy door.
Shadows bend softly around the edges of the door.
A painting leans silent upon a weathered shelf.
It waits for the sun to return across the shelf.
In stillness, the moments collect behind closed eyes.
And time forgets to count the hours behind closed eyes.
The brushstrokes remember what my mind lets slip away.
Blue skies that fracture, but never fully drift away.
A whisper of laughter still lives inside these walls.
It stirs with the breeze that crawls low along these walls.
Like the gold light, grief comes and goes, but stays unseen.
It waits for the dusk to return, quiet, unseen.
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the power of language and the music of the soul. Poetry, like music, offers a space for reflection, discord, and catharsis. 
You can discover a wide array of poetic voices taking part in National Poetry Writing Month by exploring the hashtag #NaPoWriMo across social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. You’ll find writers of all backgrounds sharing their daily verses, prompts, and reflections throughout April. For a more curated experience, visit www.napowrimo.net, the official hub for the NaPoWriMo community, where a new prompt is posted daily along with featured poems from participants around the world. It’s a beautiful way to connect with fellow poets, spark creativity, and immerse yourself in a month-long celebration of poetry in motion.
Read more poems from National Poetry Month #NaPoWriMo