A Poem A Day
In two weeks I will turn 40 years old!
As I was organizing the items in the tupperware below my bed full of pictures, cards, and journals I can across an old poetry journal. I use to write A LOT of poetry, and somewhere along the way, I stopped consistently writing. On May 1st, I set a few goals for the last 30 days in my 30s. One of those goals was to write a poem {or script} every day, and so far, I have enjoyed the non-pressure of writing my own content. Writing just to write.
Today, I would love to share my first five poems - DAY 1-5
DAY 1:
WAITING TO RISE
Each morning she called out to the lake, hopeful it would hear her cries.
“Where should I be?”
And every day she only heard the bird’s sweet morning song. The faint sound of traffic on the nearby busy street, and the sun yawning as it rose.
“Where should I be?” The women pleaded.
She waited for a reply.
But the lake remained still, and the mountains merely echoed her cries.
Each morning was the same - the birds, the traffic, and the lake.
All waiting for the women to rise like the sun.
DAY 2:
Small fingertips placed on my back, patting me goodnight. I always thought I was tucking you in until you spoke: Let it all out. There, there, let it all out. You’ll feel better when you do.
When did those small hands become wiser than their size? Who is the teacher and who is the student?
DAY 3:
L O V E - E Q U A L
She circled the coffee stain on her dairy page as if it were a badge of honor. Highlighted in the middle of her scattered thoughts, high emotions, and run-on sentences. The skin-toned dot rest just below the “e” in love.
Every time she steps into the shower and the glass door collects enough condensation, she’ll take her artistic hand and scribe LOVE across the top half of the shower door. The water drips and runs along the outside of each letter, holding it’s shape long after she is clean.
She believes love is often translated into sacrifice. One must sacrifice and be selfless in order to show love, but sacrifice of one’s self isn’t love. Sacrificing her destiny is insanity! Loving herself has become far more necessary than giving with no limits. The “e” in L O V E does not stand for Everyone - but myself.
It stands for E Q U A L
L O V E yourself and others equally.
DAY 4:
MAKE-BELIEVE
The shadow of the iron cast railing lined the outdoor rug and deck planks. Each one - side by side, curved and resting on each other’s shape. The sun bounces heat across her cheeks and chest, as she stares at the shadows. They remind her of a zebra, sprawled out on the deck, sitting next to her life a lap dog. She envisions her hand reaching down to pet his back, coarse black and white hair between her fingers. The zebra arches the muscles in his back and exchanges energy of gratitude. Just her, and her zebra, and a morning of make-believe.
DAY 5:
SONGBIRD
I spread my toes in the cool grass. I’m seated just a few feet away to the door of our local high school. My lil’ songbird has just stepped through those doors - bright-eyed, nervous, and mature. I fidget with the loose strands of dead grass, piling them in a nest around me.
I feel a pit in my stomach and wonder if she’s hungry too - but remember she is old enough to find her own food. I sit and I stir and I hope. One thousand seconds later, she appears wings wide and exotic, flying towards me.
I stand to greet her.
The grass nest below us unnoticed, useless.
And I know, she’s ready.
