As I’m going through this month of a poem a day for February (#poemadayfeb), I am pleasantly surprised to see the quality of the poems I’ve produced so far. When you write a new poem every single day, you doin’t have lots and lots of time to fiddle with your poem, it’s a matter of get it written, get it edited, and get it out there!
In the past, I have kept my poems more to myself, holding to the thought, perhaps, that publishers want exclusive rights to my precious poems, so I need to keep them to myself. But I don’t actually send my poem to potential publishers very often anyway, so there’s that idea shot down in flames …
My idea at the moment is that I may see if I can get this month’s worth of poems published in a chapbook, there will be only 28 poems (or possibly more, if I get really keen), and that is a good number of poems for such a publication.
I’m also interested to notice that I have been writing some longer poems for this project. Today’s poem, for instance is 24 lines, and I think yesterday’s poem was that length too. In the past, I have tended to write poems that are between 3 words (haiku), and 12 to 14 lines. That may be because I am also writing a novel at the moment, and thinking about longer word counts, or it may be something else, who knows?
I don’t mind, I’m enjoying what I’m writing, and as long as these good poems keep on happening for the rest of the month, I’m happy! So here is my poem for today, the fifth day of February!
Full Circle
We travel many paths through life –
child, to not child, & then on to adult,
from victim to survivor, maybe, & beyond,
as the road to gaining knowledge, bumps
us onward, with ideas we thought fine
showing to be far from fine, but fake.
So we journey on willingly, toward,
the wisdom maturity may bring to us,
& we realise a truth – wisdom was in us
already, as a child, when we found joy
in every new moment, & new thing –
seeing, feeling, tasting – sensory sublimity!
& holding to that thought, expanding it,
opening minds to the infinity available,
if we will reach out to touch it, taste it,
Smell, and listen to it, these tasks help us
to begin to see meaning for our journey
embracing all we’ve seen, & been & learned …
Life’s journey can take us far, as far as we’re
willing to go, and though the final destination
is the same for all, our journeys from childhood
to adulthood and beyond, can be amazingly
different – if we hold to our childlike mind
& can experience the glorious possiblities!
