Monday, June 6, 2022

May-Challenge Poems: Community, Control, Transformation


 In the month of May, author Kaitlin Curtice hosted a poetry challenge on her blog, asking readers to write a poem a day based on a prompt word. Here are some of my favorites that I wrote that month.

May poem day 7: Community


You’re so great in my head.

The potlucks and friendly waves,

late-night talks over wine and records,

a shared lawnmower,

a babysitting co-op.

But in person you’re so

personal

and messy

and unpredictable,

I can’t appreciate you for who you are.

I’d love to bring a pie for the neighbors

right after I cry in an anxious ball

for an hour.



May poem day 8: Control


Ground control to Major Tom:

If only you’d listen to me

all you dear unruly people,

literally everything would be okay.

Your petty problems would evaporate

Your interpersonal conflict would resolve

Your agony and ecstasy would flatten

into small, manageable chunks

and no one would slam doors

and no one would die in car wrecks

and you would be safe

—do you hear me?—

Safe!

I’m the only one in the whole world

who can keep the chaos at bay:

the braying and biting and bickering of life,

the nasty nasty problem of others’ free will.

Aren’t you sick of it, the chaos?

Aren’t you tired of it, the conflict?

Lock up your heart and grab the puppet strings

and I will help you make sure that

nothing

bad

ever

happens

again.

Ground control to Major Tom:

Why the hell aren’t you listening?




May poem day 9: Transformation


The wires don’t have to touch

for the electricity to transfer;

it rolls like a wave being guided by the cord.

Perhaps I am the same;

my phases don’t need to touch.

In order to transform,

I must ride the wave

and leap.


(View all in this series.)


~~~

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