Writing Group & Emily Dickinson Poetry

Hi Folks,

In keeping with my tradition of posting (almost) everything I write without censure, even at the risk of my friends trying to do an intervention when one really isn't needed, I am posting three poems I wrote at the Florence Poets Society Writing Group two weeks ago. I wasn't debating posting it, I've just been too lazy to do it before now. (Plus, now I have a fairly positive piece I wrote from the Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon on Saturday to balance out the grimness of the first three poems.) In my defense, the prompt for the writing group was the suicide of writer David Foster Wallace .

What Can't you Understand?

the unwillingness to suffer
the daily psychological pains
tormenting a soul already
struggling to exist within society
the selfishness of leaving behind
people believed not to really care
seeing the outward success
does nothing to ease the nagging
doubt of one who feels a fraud
the pressure of the impending crash
the belief in events
which makes them come true
all weigh so heavily
it is easier to fall with gravity
than continue fighting against it

ltv


Suicide Haiku

one only decides
when the loneliest moment
is confirmed again

ltv


[untitled]

when the path is too hard
to walk alone
and comrades are in
short supply
it may be easier
to find the edge
and convince yourself
you can fly

ltv


And now for something completely different !

On Saturday, September 27th the Emily Dickinson Museum held it's annual Emily Dickinson poetry marathon in which all of Emily Dickinson's poems (all 1,789 of them) are read by volunteers (like me). There are other things happening too: cake/ice cream, tours, movies, discussions. Despite the rain it seemed there was a fairly good turn out. I only stayed for a little bit but I was inspired to write the following:


The Homestead

I have my hand upon a brick
that yours was on before
I let my booted feet
tiptoe -- upon your wooden floor
I watch the rain -- come nourish
the gardens in your care
I write down lines of poetry
and know that you are there

ltv

Some depressing new poems

I'm going back to my poetry angst roots here. You may want to have a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical on hand to cheer you up after reading these. (I am going with a Pixar film to cheer me up. That always works!)

a new home for Mackenzie

i cut a piece
of my heart out
gave it away
to where I thought
she would be happiest
i was hoping
she would let me know
how grateful she was
or how miserable
but silence gives me
no clues about
her well-being
and I am only left
with a bleeding heart

ltv



[untitled]

when on the ledge
sometimes it feels
that stepping down
is how you heal
since climbing up
has yet to gain
anything more
than further pain

but letting go
is not to quit
if leaps of faith
are requisite
unless one step
is too far out
decisions hang
on crags of doubt

the comfort of
a stable ledge
with rocks to hold
along the edge
makes us rather
take shelter here
than leap or climb
and face our fear

ltv


how not to drown

stop
breathing
long enough
to stop the water
from flooding
your lungs
weighing
you down
don’t
search
for the
bottom
with
your
toe
just
let
go
of
the
fear

ltv