The Poetry Marathon

Minds ablaze
With new ideas, exciting dreams
Pains of past hurts and regrets
Confidence, self doubt

Bodies with perfect hair
Or resistant to being tamed
Full of energy, limber, flexible
Aching, aging, limited

Lives filled with joy
Dream jobs, 9 to 5 drudgery
Going through the motions
Making each day worthwhile

Wondering who will miss us
Will we be missed at all?
Grateful for every blessing
Jumping at every opportunity

Commanding the stage, a strong presence
Uncertainty, mind blanking, stage fright
Hitting every mark, every line
Struggling to keep up, forgetting the steps

Support from family and friends
Abandoned by those we give our hearts to
Finding love, securing it
Giving love, no reciprocation

Living in a city high rise
Enjoying the quiet of the countryside
Cold mountain air freezing lungs
Hot desert air sticking to skin

Abuses coming straight at us
Lashing out at others
Lifting up those around us
Tearing them down, intentionally or not

So many varieties of people
Different spectrums and walks of life
But the fact of the matter is
We’re all human here

On the couch or in the bed
With a little fur baby
Curled up next to me

Sitting around a table with friends
A lady knight in a world of men
Rolling a d20 for “Intrigue” or “Sword”
Annihilating opponents left and right

Cutting wooden boards with dad
Nailing them together
Sanding and staining
Sitting in my living room
Admiring the shelves we built together

At Texas Roadhouse or Olive Garden
Playing trivia games around the table
Eating good food with friends

In a classroom
Surrounded by two year olds
Listening to their babbling stories
Giving hugs and smiles
Softly singing them to sleep
Filling each minute with love

Texting my nieces and nephews
Asking about their days
Getting the “tea” on their lives
Lending a listening ear
Giving advice when needed

In a crowded building
Cosplaying with friends
Taking pictures
And talking “nerd things”

Arms around a friend
Who had a bad day
No words
Just an unspoken show
Of care and love

Game nights with friends and family
Laughing at our shenanigans

In a book of my choosing
Following the lives of characters
I am meeting for the first time
Or revisiting after time away

On stage playing a character
Telling a story
Or behind the scenes
Making sure it all runs smoothly

Under a canopy of trees
Or in an open field of grass and flowers
Standing in the cold winter run off
Water seeping into my shoes
Freezing my toes

Sitting in the quiet of a holy place
Feeling the love of my God and my ancestors
Receiving confirmation and inspiration

On my laptop
Stringing together letters to make words
Words to make stories, poems
My thoughts tumbling forth
Like a rushing river

Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn’t you rather be something strange?
Something mystical and mythical,
Something wild they cannot tame?

Be wild, child.
Take society by the collar
And say, “No, I will not.
“I will not be your puppet.
I will not sit down and be silent.
I will not be your skyscraper prisoner.
I will not be your cookie cutter child.

“I will forge my own path.
I will be my own self.
I will speak, raise my voice in protest.
I will escape your cities of smoke and mirrors.
I will find the beauty in being wild.”

Boys and girls of every age
Choose to be something strange.
Something more than society dictates.
Something wild they cannot tame.

“I want you in my life,” you said.
I believed you really meant it.
But for someone who
Wants me in their life
You are remarkably silent
And this relationship feels
Awfully one sided.

Maybe we have different ideas
Of what it means to want someone?
I know you don’t see me as more
Than just a friend.
But even as your friend
I am feeling left behind
And forgotten.

Now, now, there’s no need to worry
I am not trying to call you out.
I mean, not really, I don’t think.
I’m just trying to express how I feel.
It’s absolutely NOT a reflection on you.
I am totally fine being “that friend.”
You know, that friend of convenience,
The one you only have to think about
If they are standing next to you,
Or when they text you “Hello.”
But don’t feel pressured
To respond to my text right away
Or even in the same day.
I am just here for your convenience.

It’s been a couple of months
Since we last talked.
I should probably ask for my comics back.
Not that I don’t trust you’ll give them back eventually,
I wouldn’t have loaned them to you if I didn’t,
But maybe it’s best to cut the ties now
Rather than hold out too long,
Let my hopes get too high.
Best to squash that sooner
Rather than later, don’t you think?

Sorry, I keep making this about you.
It’s actually about me.
Really, it is.
It’s all about me.
It’s about my seeming inability
To mean much to some people.
It’s about how I’m always the one
That has to be “okay”
With being left alone,
The one that has to be “okay”
With being ignored,
The one that has to be “okay”
With being easily forgettable.
Really, it’s okay.
I am just here for your convenience.

Hello! I completed the marathon a couple of years ago, and I am super stoked to participate in this marathon again!

The sun is shining
The wind is blowing
The sky is clear and blue
The grass and trees mostly green with life
It’s a good day
For a party
Friends and family gathered
Enjoying food and conversation
Children playing in the water
Screams of delight resonating
Sitting amongst these energies of life
It was worth the drive

All it takes is a picture
A simple social media post
An update of how well he’s doing
And there’s a twinge in my heart

All it takes is a few drops
Of summer rain cascading from the sky
A reminder of things she loved
And the aching begins

All it takes is a story
Of someone’s snide remark
Memories, unpleasant, come rushing in
And my anxiety is triggered

All it takes is an embrace
Enveloping and tight
No words spoken
And I can breathe again

The thundering sound of wind
As it rushes past me
The “sh, sh, sh” of the trees
As their branches sway
Rays of warmth and light
Dancing across my skin
The chirping and clicking
Of crawling insects
The sweet pitches of birdsongs
High up in the boughs
The chittering of critters
Scurrying about
I close my eyes
Breathing in the smells
My heart beating in time
Allow myself to melt into
The din of life around me
I’m part of the symphony now, too.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride
That’s what they say
But there’s so much more to me
Than my marital or relationship status

How about
Always kind, never cruel
Or maybe even
Always thoughtful, never superficial

Always helpful, never neglectful
Always smiling, never sad
Always enthusiastic, never a drag
Always hopeful, never doubtful

Always sees the best in others
Never belittles or derides
Always wanting to make you smile
Never wanting to hurt you

Never is s strong word
So final and concrete
Life isn’t always so absolute
Maybe “not always” would fit better?

Always supportive, not always supported
Always dreaming, not always achieving
Always here to please, not always satisfied
Always behind the scenes, not always center stage

Always doing more, not always appreciated
Always fighting, not always winning
Always have things to say, not always heard
Always a little sister, not always an equal

I am more than my social standing
More than my failures and shortcomings
I am more than society sees
More than people realize

Invitation to play
Teaching the rules
Preparing
The game begins

Card after card is played
Occasional rule reminders
We pick up speed
As my opponent catches on

Flashbacks to high school
Friends gathered around a desk
Waiting in anticipation
New comers “slapping in”

Something inside me stirs
Long dormant in my soul
A kind of sleeping fae awakens
Ready to play once more

The joy of simpler times
Laughter amongst friends
The warmth of fond memories
The freedom from “real life” problems

Oh how I miss those days
Of teenage ignorance and bliss
They weren’t perfect, not at all
But that’s why the memories mean so much.