The Poetry Marathon

remembering…I am twelve years old

my body changed

nobody is telling me how to care for myself

my mother doesn’t talk to me about personal matters

hygiene seems to be a tabu subject

I am so confused

why don’t I look like everyone else

I’m always so embarrassed!

it’s so hard for me to say this, even sixty later

my body, my hair and clothes are all dirty

I smell!

teachers never did anything to help me

today’s teachers are mandated to notice

even as I write about this now, I feel agitated and alone

the disgrace is always with me

it’s hard to shed a trauma

one particular poet speaks my words

she resonates in my consciousness

I carry her thoughts as one with mine

Sylvia Plath’s Colossus is me, not her father as one might think

fragmented like puzzle parts, my mind has also tumbled down

I hear this constant alarm in my head “I shall never get you put together entirely, pieced, glued, and properly jointed”

I pray for healing, a lifting of my emotions

but like a soft whisper it eludes me

one particular poet speaks my words

she resonates in my consciousness

I carry her thoughts as one with mine

Sylvia Plath’s Colossus is me, not her father as one might think

fragmented like puzzle parts, my mind has also tumbled down

I hear this constant alarm in my head “I shall never get you put together entirely, pieced, glued, and properly jointed”

I pray for healing, a lifting of my emotions

but like a soft whisper it eludes me

My name is Leslie Simon.  I’ve been writing poetry since I was a young girl.  Whenever I felt deep emotions, I had to write it down in a poem.  It was cathartic for me, as it is for most writers.

It wasn’t until I was 70 that I decided to publish my poems.  My book is Pieces of My Heart.  In it, I tell my journey of going through the heartbreak of depression, healing, recovery and finally reaching a celebration of life.

In addition to writing, I am also an avid quilter.  I was inspired by my poems to sew a quilt for each one to evoke emotions that I expressed.  In the book the quilts are the illustrations for each poem.  The book is quite unique and it’s received very flattering reviews.  I am so proud that my book appeared in The New York Times and most delighted that I had the extreme pleasure to read at MoMA.

I’m joining the 24 hour Marathon to hone my skills and just to have fun being part of this challenge.