Well, here we are, Day 30, and I have my final two poems of this year’s installment. Normally, I’m relieved when the final day of the poetry project comes around, but today, I almost find myself feeling a little saddened. I’ve simply had a great time this year, and even though some of my stuff may have seemed garbled or unclear, I’ve still enjoyed writing it, much more so than I ever have before. That is a very refreshing thought amidst my sadness at having finished out the month. Very refreshing indeed. So, without further ado, let’s get on to the last of this year’s poems!
The First Mile
Feet pounding the pavement,
Legs heavy, steps smaller than I’d like,
Breathing in sync on a two-count.
In, in, out, out, in, in again.
I turn down the street,
Unsure if I can make it to the end,
But I press onward.
I must keep going,
Keep moving,
Keep breathing,
Keep living,
Even if only for the next breath
Or the next step.
It must be.
Giving up is not an option,
Quitting – an avenue I’ve traveled before
And never want to take again.
A short rise up ahead,
And I lean into the wind,
Out, out, in, in, out – it fills my head until
I hear magical words
Telling me the mile is over.
The first of many more.
Corner-House
A house can be sad.
Broken windows boarded up
Tell the story of a place
Where love used to rule
And smiles were currency.
The roofline is still straight,
It could not have been too long ago,
the grass is long and overgrown now,
and the yellow brick of the walls,
with its red mortar,
looks like the tulips
still barely surviving in the yard.
So, there we have it: another year of poetry challenge done! Some good, some...less than good...but I hope, in all, that you enjoyed this part of the journey. Maybe you've even decided to start a journey of your own, I dunno. I only know that I've enjoyed having you all with me on this ride, and, as always,
Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid
1 comment:
I think you're quite right to feel good about this year's poems. Even if your posting was a little erratic (hey, the muses don't work on an assembly line, I get it), it felt like you were much more comfortable with your poetry than you ever have before. It's like you've honed in more on your own voice, or developed it enough to find what works well for you, what you can do well, and really pushed in that direction. If not every poem hit it out of the park, the great majority were really pretty good, even more so for being written on the fly, and only one or two that felt off-kilter. That shows considerable improvement, I think. Even more than that, I liked a good number of the poems this year, where in past years - especially the first or second - a lot of them didn't leave that much of an impression on me. Congratulations, my friend, on a job well done. I'm looking forward to next year!
Poem 1: I wonder what the creative impulse was behind this poem? I like the rhythm of this poem, the tempo of it, the short lines. I wonder how playing around with the last few lines might change the shape of the poem - what might other magical words reveal? This might be a nice one to come back to some day and revise, as I think a little polish could clean it up really nicely.
Poem 2: Interestingly, this last poem of the month, just like the first poem, deals with place, specifically with a building. I don't know if you did that on purpose, but I like it. It's wispy, and I like how you work mix observation and memory to create a slight feel of nostalgia. That can be a good quality in a poem, especially when mixing the details with the timeless. Hmm, similar to the sort of feel you had in that first poem, too. A good read!
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