I wake up, but only out of habit,
In a body unfamiliar to yesterday’s goodnight kiss;
Brush a smile onto my face,
Swallow a cup of laugh tracks,
Slip punch lines into my pockets.
This is the calm before the storm,
The moment before the butterfly flutters its wings,
Before the doves are set free, before the dandelion seeds take flight;
When we have not yet grasped that existence is just another art to master-
We ask questions we know the answers to just to stall for time.
I call you my sister, but there is no blood linking us.
It must be, that we’ll do anything to make this world seem smaller-
Find mutual friends in every person we meet,
Leave out Jupiter when drawing the solar system;
There is too much time, there is not enough time.
Friend, we are flames trapped within water droplets.
Of course the first time you dreamt about the ocean, it was a nightmare.
There is still sand around your nails where polish should be,
Lipsticks spilling over Cupid’s bow,
Skirts that dismiss our hips and pool at our ankles.
I am afraid of the way my body fits into the air around me,
My palms weighing so heavy even when I am holding nothing.
This is a first for me, but not for him;
Afterwards, I sit for hours on the kitchen tile,
My tongue taking up too much space in my mouth,
Thinking about ex-boyfriends just to remind this body it was once loved.
At home, I tell my mother I am feeling lost.
“Child, of course you are.
It’s not like you’ve done it before,
This life thing-
Of course you’re still figuring it out.”
Great piece ๐
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Aw, thank you so much! xx
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“Find mutual friends in every person we meet” . . . That’s a great line and a great thought, Melody.
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Oh, thank you so much! Really glad you liked it ๐
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I entirely love how you write! It speaks to my core without need for translation. Like a Morse code from soul to soul. Dot-dot-smile!
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Oh thank you so much Diana! That’s a wonderful way to put it ๐
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Laugh Tracks & Punch Lines…
A True WordSmith!
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Thanks! That means a lot xx
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I love this! That last line,
“Child, of course you are.
Itโs not like youโve done it before,
This life thing-
Of course youโre still figuring it out.โ
Oh my goodness! I love that and I love the image of “we’re flames trapped within water droplets”
You are so creative and such a wonderful writer. I always look forward to reading your work because I know I will feel what you write and see it all through new images and new comparisons and I really love that and appreciate the time you put into crafting such fantastic work.
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Thank you so much Marcia! This comment really made my day ๐
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Beautiful pain of living
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The perfect way to describe it xx
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Dear Melody
You’ve written another beautiful poem here. There are so many delights in it.
“This is the calm before the storm,
The moment before the butterfly flutters its wings,”
Wow, what a juxtaposition of images, with the added bonus of referencing chaos theory!
“Leave out Jupiter when drawing the solar system;” – what a terrific metaphor!
“There is still sand around your nails where polish should be,” – how vividly that conjures up the little girl in the woman.
“Skirts that dismiss our hips and pool at our ankles.” – so young that she doesn’t even have a womanly figure yet – just such a beautiful way of saying that!
And your final stanza
“At home, I tell my mother I am feeling lost.
โChild, of course you are.
Itโs not like youโve done it before,
This life thing-
Of course youโre still figuring it out.โ”
That’s so tender, so loving, so true.
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, I absolutely love this poem!
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Thank you Penny! I’m so glad you picked up the chaos theory reference – wasn’t sure how many people would get that, to be honest. And with all those other lines – I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to realise that you understood my intentions so well! xx
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You write with such beauty and elegance and truth. This is amazing.
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Thank you! That means a lot to me ๐
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“I wake uo, but only out of habit” … that had me. great opening
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Oh, thanks! Really glad you liked ๐
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Bravo! Your pen flows and you paint beautiful pictures with words. I love reading this. Keep writing!
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Thanks ๐
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Your writing is incredible–blew me away.
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Aw thanks! That means a lot ๐
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“…just to remind this body it was once loved.”
Something so relatable in this line you delivered. It’s almost like we have to recall some pain to remember the positive experiences.
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Right? Exactly what I was trying to get at – ahh so glad you got it!
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You write with such richness of imagery, as if your words are the artist’s brush. This is a beautiful piece – the questioning, the rawness, the discomfort. Well done.
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Thanks ๐
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This is a gorgeous poem! You just have a great way of capturing thoughts in unique imagery, and it’s stunning and aspirational.
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Wow, thanks! That’s really flattering to hear ๐
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Soooo beautiful! Cheers!!! ๐
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Thank you!! ๐
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I had been glued to it…as it begins and graced its way to closure , inspiring a thought in me…..
How beautifully penned…loved it!
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May I ask what it has inspired? ๐ Thanks so much for this – it was really sweet x
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You’re too good.โ๏ธ
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Aw, thank you!! ๐
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Beautiful metaphors and amazing sensory imagery… something to strive for. I can hear your soul in your writing.
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Ahh, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much xx
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Wow, your poems are amazing ๐ keep it up!!! โ
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Aw, thank you so much! You’re too sweet xx
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I’m glad to find another blog I like enough to follow.
Take care of yourself…
Happy blogging!
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This really means a lot! Happy blogging to you too ๐
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Thanks!
Happy Thursday
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Melody,
I like your poem and the imagery is great.
I used some of your metaphors and wrote something that to me is sending some of the same messages that you are in your poem. I am not posting this anywhere else. Thank you for sharing your work and feelings.
Regards,
Sam.
The water droplets of men,
Knowing their routines ensnare the flames within
Forcing them in a smaller world of mutual friends they once knew.
Feeling lost getting separated.
We pretend.
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Thank you for this, Sam! I really love this little stanza of yours – how it uses concepts from my poem but in such a different way. It’s lovely xx
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I just saw your reply. Thank you for responding and writing back. I will try to visit your blog and posts tomorrow.-Sam.
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