I wish I knew what to write
On this blank piece of paper.
Coyly, he invited me in
To play and to say
To do what and be who I wish.
I was intriqued
By all the possibility.
But now, he mocks me.
Laughs as I stare
Giggles as I stumble
Daring me to find words
More eloquent
Than I'll ever be.
Yes, paper,
I will accept your invitation
And though I may not be the most
Charming or witty one at the party,
I'll give it a go,
And I will be there.
On this blank piece of paper.
Coyly, he invited me in
To play and to say
To do what and be who I wish.
I was intriqued
By all the possibility.
But now, he mocks me.
Laughs as I stare
Giggles as I stumble
Daring me to find words
More eloquent
Than I'll ever be.
Yes, paper,
I will accept your invitation
And though I may not be the most
Charming or witty one at the party,
I'll give it a go,
And I will be there.
On the contrary, you made quite an amazing entrance to the party; and while the poem is both charming and witty, it is also sincere. All excellent party guest chracteristics in my esteem. "To Emily" is a heart wrenching piece, so much so, it was hard for me to read.
ReplyDeleteBecca
Thanks, Becca! To Emily was such a hard piece to write, but I wanted (and I think succeeded) in taking the reader on the painful journey of miscarriage. I wanted the reader to experience what the main character feels and that does make it hard to read. Personally, there were many years when I could not have even attempted to read a piece such as this. I am okay if readers can not finish reading To Emily, in fact, I think that a compliment because it shows I evoked the feelings that I was going for. As we are "conferring" I'd love your thoughts on improvements to either piece. I really struggled with the ending of To Emily and still think it needs reworking.
ReplyDeleteBecca, please remember to invite me into your blog, okay?
ReplyDeleteDeb-
ReplyDeleteI sent an email to everyone in our "group" to email me their email addresses so I can add each of you - did you receive that?
Becca
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to edit, so I just deleted my first comment (too many typos!) I like this poem, especially the imagery inherent in the underlying metaphor rgngrejnvv.....
ReplyDelete(Sorry, I got into English 101 term paper writing mode there.) Seriously, I liked the image of the paper mocking the author; I have certainly felt that before. I also like the idea of the blank paper inviting you in.
Hey Deb,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see someone else wrote a poem too. Great job! Your poem was much more "adult" than the one I tried to write. Whenever I write a poem, I end up using a lot of the techniques that I teach my students, rhyming cuplets for example. More specifically, I liked your interpretation of a blank piece of paper. I find myself thinking like you so much, especially in this grad school program. The best thing I can do is put my pencil to the paper and see what comes out. That is my "acceptance" of the paper's invitation. Great job again. Cheers!
Deb,
ReplyDeleteWhile I was struggling with navigating setting up my blog, I took a look at yours and was so impressed. I love the Invitation. So often I feel as though that invitation is almost like a taunt. That's the feeling I got reading it. Each time that blank page sneers at me, I humbly try my very best. Thanks for sharing this poem.
Your piece about Emily was just incredible. As painful as it must have been to write, it sounds like it was something that you needed to do. I'm glad you did. Your piece was so strong. You've shown a mother's sense of loss and the love that never goes away. Thanks for sharing it.
Alanna (not in your group, but I got sucked in!)