Circling Back to Poetry

Photo from a recent outing in Fredericksburg.

One thing you may not know about me is I like to write poetry! I used to write a lot in college, but somehow it got away from me. Lately, at the encouraging of a good friend, I've begun writing again and actually reading them out loud at poetry open mic nights!
Here's a fun one I'd like to share with you about my detour away from poetry.

I Forgot to Write a Poem

It's been 20 years and

Oops I forgot to write a poem.

What happened to all those weeks?

What was I doing when I got to be alone?

Why did I forget to write a poem?

Life happened, of course, plus reading and sleeping.

It's ok to roll your eyes at the trite and mundane.

The truth is longer and articulated,

Like a snake racing in the grass.

Oops, I forgot to capture that snake.

I left to chase a dream and a future,

In foreign country, learn another language,

Try to make connections and

Fulfill my promise to prevent diseases but...

Oops I forgot to write a poem about HIV.

Then more learning and walking around a campus.

Reading, writing, applying for jobs...

Finding somebody who gets me and

Fast forward... wedding, dogs, career and babies.

Oops I forgot to write the love poems.

The words were there, swirling,

They are my constant companion but

There were no adequate words for

How it felt to hold my babies.

So I didn't write a poem about their sweet, rosy arms.

Maybe I just wanted to keep it to myself.

Maybe I didn't think anybody would care as much as I do.

Perhaps the poems got trapped behind my feelings.

Or maybe the poetry got left behind.

So - oops - I just didn't write the poems.

Cross-country moves, Oklahoma skies,

Learning about the wisdom of women and

The immense love I felt in our first house.

Baking cookies with our children,

All of the Christmas mornings,

The passage of people and things and time.

In 20 years I've lived so many poems.

It is time to start writing them down.

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