The Poetry Marathon

I’ve heard it said
When a young man dies
It’s as if a book’s been burned;
But when an old man dies,
It’s as if an entire library
Has burned to the ground.

For me,
If the internet dies,
I’ll suffer certain losses,
and simple facts like
how to boil an egg
will once again be
a mystery.

So, if it should come to that,
You’ll find me in the library
trying like hell
to keep that old man alive
so at least I’ll know how
to turn on the stove.

Art: The Library 2014 by Virginia Galfo

I love waking up in the city.
Just as the sun rises
There is a stillness
As if the day is preparing
For the hurry-up,
The honking horns,
And the unending tide
Of people in motion,
Of which I will be one –
But first,
I need coffee…

Art: Chicago, 2016 by Virginia Galfo

My mother didn’t have apron strings
for me to hold onto,
She had a noose firmly fitted
around my neck.
I spent my life waiting
for the chair beneath me
to suddenly disappear.

I played my role perfectly.
I let her take all my money,
I agreed with her low opinion
of my character and
I emptied her commode when
she took center stage in the drama
of sickness and her steadfast
denial of her own impending death.

I’m not sure how I survived,
but somehow, I took off the noose
and built a new life –
moving thousands of miles away
from where she is buried.
I always thought I would go “home”
someday and join her and
the others in the family plot,
But an unexpected event took place:

I married a man who loves me,
and to my surprise,
his mother and father also love me.
I am amazed, humbled, and grateful
to have a real home.
So much so, when my own drama
comes to an end,
my ashes will be dropped into
the ground next to them.

With that, I will have succeeded
in disappointing my mother for the last time.

Hi, Everyone,

I’m making sure I know how everything works, posting-wise before the start of the marathon. I think I’ve got this!

Best,

Virginia Galfo

I’m Virginia Galfo. When I was about 10 years old, I was given a paperback book of poems called On City Streets. I was smitten with the various poems and poets then, and I still am, today. I’m so happy to be here among my fellow writers and look forward to participating in the Poetry Marathon.

I have a blog: A Light Beyond the Hedge: Poetry and Somewhat Social Commentary (www.virginiagalfo.com). My music is marketed under the name Virginia Wagner and can be found at cdbaby.com/artist/virginiawagner (you can stream it for free on Spotify). Oh, I also wrote a novel. It’s called The Eclipse of Mrs. Moon and it’s available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.