Poem 7
Normal
I could say normal is typical or regular or average,
which begs a question. Is it desired in any way?
At times normal is a beacon of light as I am
giving up hope, so lost in the fog.
Other times it has shackles that make my wrists
and ankles ache from locking them in.
In nature it can be the natural pattern and
we may seek the usual in verdant lush gardens.
Normal can be healthy and routine when we
think of our bodies.
Normal is orderly and customary and sane
but let’s be honest here…it can be boring.
After all it’s what’s expected and current
and proper and decent by some accounts.
I mostly rebel against normal because it’s
not weird and weird catches my eye.
Doing things as expected is predictable
and satisfying and in your genes if you’re
in a lineage of farmers.
If you’re from a city, you’ve watched
normal change like sheets blowing
off a clothes line and into the sky…
You may want something different.
We’re all different, so why would
we want to be the same?
Isn’t that thought normal?
I love the explorations of normal in this piece – the way you weave country living and urban dwelling together – the way you raise questions while rallying against the sometimes confining nature of normal.
Cristy,
Thanks for your kind comments on Periwinkle Forest Ranger!
I had a rough time on poems 8 and 9 and reminded myself on that one to just have fun. It doesn’t have to be a poem to change the world. Periwinkle gave me the idea to go with unusual colors…so I went with it.
And thanks also for your comments about Normal. I googled normal to get some ideas of directions to go…which was helpful to put my own spin on it in different situations.
Your Ode to Signs is terrific. I read it forgetting the prompt and then was doubly impressed that you put a cogent poem together with such a difficult prompt. I love the way you went from harsh reality to dreamy visions…the contrast works great!
And New Year’s Day 2021…
I love the way you address the harshness of winter and the pandemic in the Yukon while also bringing in the hope of summer…nice contrast. And the NY classic at the end is perfect to tie it all together! Nice work.
I live in Bellingham, WA and mostly listen to CBC radio…so love the Canadian references as I feel part Canadian. I love the way they’ve been dealing with the painful truth of the residential schools. Yesterday’s 12 hours of indigenous programming was great!