Before I head out to enjoy yet another long weekend. I thought I would write another post (the last one doesn’t really count…let’s consider that post some Bloggy housekeeping…). 

So, this “thirty-something or other” is going to share something with you….the voice of her 12-year old poetic brain and muse!  I know!  My mom found a poetry book that I had written a few years back and mailed it out to me a while ago.  As I was flipping through the pages, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my growth as a poet and a writer (another reason why I love writing is to chronicle that developing state of mind!). 

It felt so strange, yet oddly comforting to read the words that were inspired by my 12 year old brain.  Fascinating how some of the same images and ideas still float around in this adult brain….

Anyways, here goes nothing…[be gentle with me people, as I know you will, afterall, I was only twelve....!].  Lol!

Decision

There once was a dog who ate slime,

Who couldn’t tell if he had time,

To pull up his collar,

Or spend his last dollar,

On a bowl for his yucky, green slime.

[A little Shel Silverstein influence with that limerick, I would say!]

Shadow

Holder of the night

Apostle of the sunset

Flip-side of the sun

An Ode to Clouds

Like streaked pain in water, the clouds

expand,

Constantly reaching and spearing innocent

blue,

Their destination isn’t complete until they

bring the night.

They shadow the land and reflect the sun’s warmth,

A constant glow rests like satin on a pillow,

Constantly reaching for midnight blue,

Towards forever, like wandering nomads.

Never satisfied at the slightest star,

They are always set to leap a hill and forage

a mountain,

Like nomads they wander without care as

the wind slips slowly by.

[Apparently, the random form of the poem was critical for this piece (hence the strange indentation pattern!).  I had totally forgotten about this old poem, but it brings to mind a fairly recent cloud-gazing post....weird!]

Oh, and the book is laminated and complete with illustrations!  Woohoo!  The clouds on the “Ode to Clouds” page are somewhat sunset-ish and illuminated with delicate pastel blues, pinks and amber tones….Good grief!  I was my own poet, illustrator and publisher back then.  Too bad I can’t pull that off now!  Actually, mum would probably give me the old “Tsk, tsk!” and remind me once again that anything is possible “if you put your mind to it”.  I guess it is important to keep that sense of child-like wonder alive and nourished. 

Here’s to kids!  Here’s to creativity! 

Long live the poetic heart and soul!

-PM

I have taken the art of writing rather seriously since I was about the age of 7 or so.  Believe it or not, I actually recall writing a few meaningful pieces at that age (I just wish that we hadn’t lost some of this writing during our many moves).  I guess that is why I am so comfortable blogging.  For me, blogging is a means of expression.  It allows me to explore my literary creative angle in a real-time way.  It allows me to be silly, quirky, zany and entertaining (at least, I hope some of you find me entertaining).  It also allows me to be in contact with a few like-minded individuals that have decided to walk with me for a spell on my journey.  My blog space, is essentially an extension of my writing notebook and in a sense, my psyche.

Having said that, it is understood that a real person exists behind the words that are written within this blog.  It is my perogative to present this space as a caricature of myself and my environment.  I have neither the desire, or need to present my readers with the nitty gritty aspects of my life (for personal reasons - particularly those of privacy).  For those of you that take comfort in sharing details of your life with us in trust and good faith, I must thank you for that, but by no means do I want my words to be less valuable because I don’t offer the same intimate details of my life (and I think that this is understood to not be a concern…and if it is a concern…).  Also, it is my intent to present that part of myself to my readers that is quite important - and that is the person that I am evolving into (regardless of my past circumstances).  For me, personal evolution is extremely important.  “Who are you becoming?” “What are your influences?” “What are your beliefs?”  I could fill up all of my pages with my scars, traumas, hurts and woes, but I don’t want to be reminded of these things on a daily basis when I open this space…It is enough for me to integrate these experiences into my present person, accept them, own them and move on, hopefully inspiring others as I go.

So that’s a bit of me in a nutshell.  I am not an enigma.  I am just a deeply private person that is trying to make some meaningful contact with people that want to take the time to get to know me (and vice versa).  I think we all place ourselves in a position of being judged every single time we make a post, and this very act makes us vulnerable to the criticisms and assumptions of others.  Hopefully, through our words, we can attract similar minded people to share along in our journeys.  I for one, am very fortunate to have met some very wonderful people from my writing.  For a time, we are part of one another’s journeys, we don’t know how long we will have with one another, but for now, we should be happy that we can be of influence and support one another.  We choose to be part of this community because we all have one thing in common.  We can write and express ourselves with the written word.  Some of us do it because we/they are writers, while others do it for the aspect of shared humanity.  Regardless, we are making the choice to share ourselves with others…and we do this in good faith everytime we open that Dashboard and click on “Write.”

-PM