The Poetry Marathon

so close

to the edge

but i breathe s l o w

because

b

e

l

o

w

there is peace

a stranger in the form of

f   o   g

it’s lapping at my toes

a dog on its last day

eager to play

but unable to-

Strange how,

the perspective of two people,

engaging in the same conversation

can be worlds apart.

I stare down the barrel of a new life

and am riddled with the sweet taste of

childhood anxiety

The kind that tastes like bubblegum and

plastic foods.

I am no longer manufacturing a taste for coffee

and wondering if there will be a day

when my palate finally locates the taste for the stuff

I consume in excess and

breathe empty breaths.

What once was a

youthful experiment is now

addiction.

As it always is.

One thing remains the same,

the thin sliver of fog that passes when I first

open my eyes.

Where I think

I am alone

Before I know that I

am alone.

The world is turned on its side and

visible through a single cracked eyelid

perspiration coats the arms, the legs

upper lip

The culprit who stirred you is

the little man who turns on your brain and waits for it to start

warming up

He looked at his clocked and yelled

“Oh, Dear!”

Sounding the alarms you rustled

and see that it’s 6:50

Oh Dear indeed

Hollow chest

Gasping for breath you

claw for your laptop

and write the first poem of the day

all the while cursing your thin willpower

Heart bulges and balloons

trying to free itself through any openings in the body

Perhaps it’s my throat,

the papercut on my index finger

My ears.

Hello! My name is Courtney and this is my third year participating in the Poetry Marathon. I’m super super excited and can’t wait to read all of your poetry. In past years, I didn’t feel confident enough to submit anything to the anthology, but I think this year is the year I do! I’m currently a Creative Writing major at San Jose State University and hope to one day publish my own work.

Worn out pages sit

Filled with emptiness like me

Hold me how he did

Tell me why he sings

In melody so solemn

When he’s so gorgeous

I find ease in the constant change

New buildings around each corner

A crane lifting a piece of scaffolding

Like Jenga with higher stakes

My favorite building was torn down yesterday

I had never breached its walls

It was just nice to know it was there

Watching over me with chipping paint

The city smells like pee

But each building has crafted its own unique cologne

Different elements add to its unique aroma

I like to sit and think about it

The view from the park is overwhelming

So much to focus on and only so many hours

Sunlight fleets and with it

My focus

Hazy smoke rushes to my brain

A cab honks in the distance

Terrified of going home

For now it’s me and my buildings

Why do we all fight

Over who is wrong and who is right

?

Why do we find something to pick apart

Are we dooming ourselves from the very start

?

Was life ever normal

Or were we just a victim to it all

?

Will we ever know peace and cooperation

Shutdown every hatred station

?

Life is short, but we make it unbearable

I want people to think before they speak, it’s that simple

Dip a finger in the melted wax

Cool on your finger, hardening

Fire is dancing

A cigarette lit from flame

He once told me that smoking is the most

Intimate you can get with fire

Swirling in your lungs

Elbowing everything on its way out

Cancer is inevitable

In the moment I don’t mind

For now this ember I’m sucking on

Is my torch

Glow of string lights in a backyard

Firepit roaring

An excuse as to why I smell smokey

Flames intoxicating

A candle on my desk

Sitting in an old wine bottle

Echoing a crescendo of laughter

Rings of color within, like the rings in a tree

Spilling over the bottle

Forging its own path

Settling into the cool glass

I will not disturb it

Here I will write

In the dancing gold

Flickering on my paper

Words entangled with smoke