Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Off Topic

Most of my poems revolve around two themes - desire for something you do not have and sadness. However, every once in a while, I write something that is playful and happy...and I wonder what in the world was going on in that moment that made me write something so out of the ordinary for me.

Giggling
Bangs tickle my nose

I want to jump in
To splash around

Not caring what gets ruined

To stand beyond the awning’s edge
In the middle of a stream

Playing

And somehow

It happens

Between there and here
I age
But not as much as yesterday

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Self-Imposed Exile

Self-imposed exile
Only seeing
What is wrong
Not what is right
Second guessing
What was heard
What was said
Wondering why
Anyone chooses
The other

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Hail Poetry!

Some people may know that, when the mood strikes, I write poetry.

Tonight I was reading some of my poems from the last few years (last one was written in late-2010) and thought about my creative writing class at the University of Montevallo. We would bring our poetry, and short stories, to class and our peers would critique them. Unlike most people, I loved this process! I would learn so much about writing and what parts of my writing people connected to and how using more descriptive words meant I could use less words and give my readers a more vivid picture (a skill that comes in handy when writing headlines - or tweets - and which I've abandoned completely in blogging).

In the spirit of learning and hopefully to inspire me to write more poems, I've decided to post some, if not all, of the poems I've written over the past few years for the world to see. This is a huge thing for me since up until now I've only let a few people see them. Is it scary? Yes. Do I need to get over that fear? A big resounding YES!

So, here's the first poem!

Cold air brushes against my bare legs
Horns sound as cars keep their hurried pace
No down time – even in our heads
I follow the crowd of hasty workers
And enter
Canned music transports me to the dance floor
Legs brush together beneath my skirt
Delighting in my lapse of reality

Rush

The cold air caresses me
How nice it is to feel!
Glimpsing myself in a window
So restricted and confined in my East Coast uniform
Except for my legs
Rebels in their natural state
I smile as I return to reality
And am greeted by stale air
Weighed down by tasks I’ve yet to complete
The elevator doors close
I am alone
Reveling in the touch that lingers