While others are
gathering their snacks –
dark strong chocolate,
pots of coffee,
piles of prompts
books, pictures, memories
I am gathering
memories just lost
seeking my center
trying to look
out, up, ahead.
While others are
organizing their space,
choosing their view,
piling up references,
contemplating the virtues –
chips vs candy? –
I am clearing
my space, tossing
everything I can
in order to
move small, light.
While others are
juggling joy, nerves
and anticipation, I
am juggling agents
lawyers, buyers, tradesmen,
plans, timelines, loss.
While others are
imagining poems, I
am recalling them.
While others are
filled with energy,
I am struggling
to regain mine.
While others are
reaching out, eager
to share, excited,
I am pulled
into my shell
to nurture, conserve
what little reserve
I have rebuilt.
While others are
writing with me
and yet apart
I am grateful
to be part
of something beyond
the four walls
of my pain,
grateful for openings
to explore yet
another adventure ahead.
sarahw
This is a really great poem! I love the repetition of “While others…” I also like how I get a sense of how the speaker differs from everyone else and how they’re preparing for this intense marathon. Nice! đ
Thank you, linst. This was the kind of writing Marge Piercy might call ‘throat clearing’ … getting the backstory out of the way to make room for real words. At least for me, it turned out to be the perfect first marathon prompt!
I too like the âWhile others are/I amâ call & response structure, my only query is why didnât you maintain the âI amâ line start for v3&4? It just threw me a little. But well done.
Interesting interpretation garethroi – in my reading every stanza maintains the same ‘while others/I am’. Guess I’m curious whether the change in stanza length threw you off? Regardless I appreciate the read and your feedback.
No I had no problem with stanzas of differing lengths given you didnât set up three stanzas of 6 lines, then suddenly check me a 4 liner, 11 liner, then a 2 liner. In this context differing lengths = variety which helped maintain energy.
I simply refer to:
and anticipation, I
am juggling agents
&
imagining poems, I
am recalling them.
instead of:
and anticipation
I am juggling agents
&
imagining poems
I am recalling them
As the other 4 verses are.
Itâs not a big issue, was just curious why the change?
Ahh … b/c my structure was three words/line – not stanza length!!!
Somehow it seems not to have shown up that way on your screen…e.g. there is no line that is ‘and’ on its own