Rainbow Connections by Garfunkel and Oates

I'm Still Trying

My backpack was my best friend
I shit you not
It lasted longer than lovers
Shared moments never mentioned to another soul
I was forced to finally bury it after moving to Nashville
With fresh dirt from the grave of another lover

My backpack accompanied me
To the jungles of Honduras
The sunlit nights of Finland
The tropical waters of Fiji
The warm embrace of the redwoods
Silent witness to racism in Australia

My backpack conversed with the Hare Krishnas
Traversed glaciers
Hiked volcanoes
Biked in the dead of winter and across barren desserts

Goodbye
Cradle of my heart
I'm still trying
To be happy for you

Arizona (a love letter)

Author's note: This is from a poetry series I write and post on my author website blog, called "Notes on a Bar Napkin." For more info, go to http://jenlynnanderson.com/blog.

I will never forget
These sweet nights
These nights of rhythm
of rhythm and sway –
The music is under my skin
Under my skin and in
my bones –
The music is permanent
because of you.
You grasp a piece
of my heart
My heart and you never knew
you held it.
And this
This heart bursts
Under the haze
The cloying haze
of a desert summer
night
And I reach
I reach
So far
So hard
And never
Can never
Will never grasp
What this all meant.
But I love
I love
You
all the same.

Mentors

Mentors

You asked me

To go to dinner

To be your friend

To chat about life

I accepted because

I was lonely, but apprehensive 

And this is what I want

I accepted this life at OSU (or any other school)

You were so kind

And were once my superior

And interested

But the role-shifting

In my story

Is throwing me off

For what reason?

Quite honestly

What are your motives?

Though I love being your helper

I love being anyone’s helper

I love being anyone’s friend.

Student

Employee

Colleague

That would have pulled me in anywhere

Still, I’m nervous

Always so damn nervous

I know you have a life

A story

And a lot to offer me

And I want to know

As said friend,

But this.

Me

You

Comfort

Solace

If only superficial

An hour in I found myself

Divulging things

I haven’t told my mother

Or my soul.

Or myself

Things about my relationship

And my dating history

Is it appropriate?

Let’s throw all the rules out the window

Like the proper member of my millennial generation that I am

Because I know, in the end, you just want me to be happy.

And I like that about you.

I don’t know myself

Oy.

Travel is so easy

Building a community, a sense of trust

THAT IS HARD.

Playing along. Here's my addition:

Before me and behind me are monsters.

Great ones: complete with fangs, fur, and ferocious friends 

Do this.

Writing 101: Building a Blogging Habit, through Daily Post (WordPress). The challenge starts June 2nd!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/writing-101-registration/

Round Robin Poetry Attempt #1

Okay, I'm feeling a little punchy, and creative.  Let's do this!

The rules:

1. I'm going to start our Round Robin Poem with 1 line.

2. The next person who's inspired to add, adds 1 line.

3. Any of the contributors can contribute.  Just 1 line at a time.

4. We go as long as we want, or until the poem's finished.

5. Add your name in parentheses before or after your line, to really improve the quality of flow of the poem.

6. The theme of this poem is in honor of my favorite fictional mythical beast of destruction and mayhem: Godzilla.

Aaaaaaaand....

Before me and behind me are monsters.

Shaaaaaameless plug.

Greetings, poets.

It's been awhile since we've all posted on here, but first let me say I'd love to bring this blog back to it's former glory.  Monthly themes, the spreading of the word, the sharing of the poems... it was quite the awesome endeavor back in its day.  So I, for one, will be doing my best to post more than I have been.  Let's keep bringing the awesomeness into the world through our letters and words!

That leads me to my... er... next bit of news.  Hopefully my fellow moderators won't be too peeved I've temporarily hijacked this lovely blog for my own selfish purposes (we're terrible people, after all).  The news is I've finally decided to stop procrastinating/being fearful about publishing my first novel.  I've realized that life is just too damn short to avoid doing the things you know will make you the happiest, and I've been sitting on this story for years, so really... what better time?  Now.  Yes.  Now, it is.

Now that I've started getting serious about the publishing part, I'm exploring my options to self-publish.  The business side to writing a novel is not the side I'm familiar with AT ALL, so let the learning begin.  You can follow my fumbling steps toward my dream on... you guessed it... social media!

Website - "Jen Anderson Writes a Book" (yeah, that might be a working title): http://jenlynnanderson.wordpress.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jenandersonwritesabook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aJenwithaPen
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jenanderson5201/


Thanks, everyone.  And now, back to the Writing of the Poetry!

~Jen

"I Could Be a Poet," by TAYLOR MALI

Playing with words, a relationship story

It’s not you; it’s me
I’m the one
That needs the work
Forgive me
I shall be myself in a few days

Climbing
Shouting
Anxiety
Bills
Cream

It’s all about the cream
That Damn cream
Everything doesn’t have to be about the whipped cream
Or does it?
Why can’t I have a normal life?

Waiting in line
For an oil change
Came across a little café
We were hungry
So we thought we would grab some lunch

I’ll have a salami sandwich on rye
He’ll have a bowl of your soup du jour
Why are you ordering for him miss?
I don’t know
Habit I guess

He would also like
Your crème burlee
With extra whipped cream
I do?
You always want the whipped cream

I do not
You do too
Can I just order my own damn meal?
You don’t love me anymore
You used to always let me take care of you

There were no kids
Just the car
That was broken
And the salami sandwich and soup du jour
And that whipped cream

Creamy chowder with biscuits
And tomato enchiladas with cheese
You should watch your cholesterol intake
I want you to be around with me until I die
Who says I wouldn’t?

Your diet says you wouldn’t
Says who?
Cheese? Whipped Cream?
You’re the one who ordered the whipped cream!
I was just trying to please you!

Can I get you anything else?
A beer?
A glass of wine?
Oh we don’t drink here
Says who?

I would like a drink
I would like a whiskey
The hard stuff
It’s the only way I’m going to tolerate
The rest of the afternoon

And the bill
For the car
God I don’t want to know how much that
Bill
Will be

Love you

Always and forever,

Sandra