When I feel things are going along so steadily and smoothly that I am walking the thin line between contentment and stagnation, I like to shake things up a bit. At one time, I treated my life like a snow globe, turning it all upside down, shaking the hell out of it, and then watching the pieces settle in different spots. These days, though, I like to challenge myself in more constructive ways. Lately, my life has been going along swimmingly; hence, I decided to challenge myself to write a poem every day in March. While not every post this month will be a poetry post, I thought today would be a good day to share my first five poems.

“Less than Stellar”

Poetry eludes me at the end
of a long day.
A day that was unexpected
in its utter humdrum ordinariness.
I am cranky and feeling less than
brilliant.
But a goal was set
and now it’s been met.
After all, what’s a poem
besides random thoughts
and weird
spacing?

 “The Email I Did Not Send”

Boy, was it good.
Written in that serene, unflappable tone
That makes people aching for a fight
Go mad.
A point-by-pointy-point disquisition
Addressing the inappropriate demands,
Accusations, and behavior of someone who,
I am afraid,
Doesn’t care for me very much right now.
Honestly, it was written with love,
From that part of me I refer to as
My best self.
But defense is an act of war
And I have no wish to war against anyone.
So, I let it go.
Responding instead with ‘I get it.
It’s not me. It’s you.
And I choose not to fight you anymore.’
And I know it was the better choice,
But, boy, was it good.

 “The Last Dream of the Night”

I awoke this morning with the last dream of the night
lingering in my mind.
I dreamt of a gathering of people
listening as a woman named Lisa
wove a tale rife with the stuff waking nightmares are made of-
hunger, poverty, violence, loss. Utter humiliation.
I watched the faces of the listeners
smile at her courageous humor and
contort with shared grief when she wept.
As they forgot about themselves for a few moments
and engaged with the struggles of another,
I saw the outlines of each person
begin to blur and,
unleashed from the confines of skin and ideology and dogma
and assumptions about the Other,
humanity emerged and the goodness of each person
began a grace-filled dance with
the goodness of those around them.
And it was stunning.
Now I’m not one for prophecy,
but I’d like to think I dreamt of the future-
a future where everyone dances,
a future where those who stumble are swept up
in the arms of those who have strength aplenty
and borne onto the dance floor with tenderness and dignity,
a future where empathy is the melody by which we move
and love covers a multitude of flaws, quirks, and
differences of opinion.
As I pushed back the covers and reluctantly rose from my bed,
I vowed to try to remember
to embrace each opportunity to create
the world I saw in
the last dream of the night.

“Full”

I end the day full— 
Full of the warmth that radiates from those surrounding me
And renews my spirit.
I end the day grateful— 
Grateful to share this exhilarating messy life
With such honest brilliant souls.
I know there’s a chance that tomorrow’s tasks
Will deplete my tranquility reserves and leave me snapping at the small things
Like the dishwasher being left open yet again,
But tonight I am full.

“Pub Theology”

Round table
Diversity incarnate
Passionate discussion
Question marks
No periods

A gratuitous picture of me at the beach last week, because oceans and poetry seem to go together.