Tuesday, February 2, 2010

the poetry makers

I think of them as tiny people
that I carry around in the pockets
of my mind
along with lint
rusty paperclips
missing buttons
and small change from a misspent life

they tiptoe through
the disorderly conduct of my thoughts
collecting bits and pieces
of people and places
books and songs
comic strips and movies

things that drifted into
and out of my life
a hastily discarded feeling here
a long-forgotten idea there
possibilities scattered like ashes
in the rubble of my regrets
all shaken, not stirred, with a few missing links
that came from who-knows-where

day in and day out
for over sixty years
the greedy little scavengers
followed my sloppy thoughts around
happily hoarding
whatever I left behind
like tiny little pack rats

somehow they knew I needed them
stuck as I was
at the bottom
of a cracked glass
filled to the brim
with the stuff of exquisite isolation

so, now they clamor for my attention
eager to give me back all those things
lost in life's translation
a word here
a word there
grain after grain of hope
their gift to me
I think I'll call it poetry...

**********


5 comments:

  1. WHF! I just commented- oh well, like I was saying LOVE love this poem- the little people- semi-creepy! LOVE this poem!

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  2. What a wonderful poem! I love the imagery and the way it flows.

    -Suze

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  3. you are absolutely right...poems are alive...like little beings that breath...if they can stimulate the mind to feel and think and see and smell all at the same time, they are magical beings!
    your poem brought this out so well...loved it

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  4. love the opening of the poem and the idea behind it :) good luck with your critique site!

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  5. Thanks all of you! Jessie, it isn't exactly my critique site (www.poem.org). I just post some of my poetry there. It's really cool for people who are just venturing into the poetry world and want to see what others think. I have found that people there (fellow poets) are very supportive and generous with their praise, as well as making constructive suggestions! cory

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