Pieces of Me

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's the title of an Ashlee Simpson song but it also fits what I feel I am sharing with all of you so, I'm going with it.

I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I can still clearly recall filling spiral notebook after spiral notebook with "books" (only one of which I ever finished) that I was working on at various points in my life starting at around age 12. I also love writing poetry. In fact, I'm about to share one of my earliest pieces that I recently found during a visit to NY in a "poetry anthology" comprised of the very moving and insightful literary creations of my second grade class. (My mother, fortunately or unfortunately, is a pack rat. Gee, maybe that's where I get it from?) Are you ready? Here goes, with its original capitalization and punctuation.

"I Wonder If"

I wonder if
The moon would be
A place my cat
Would like to see.
Would there be
Moon mice to chase
Way up there
In outer space?

(Hopefully my skills have progressed slightly in the past 32 years but not half bad for a seven year old, right? Please note that I did not, in fact, get my first cat until five or six years later.)

Here's another one, this one written in 1996, the year after I graduated from college. (And yes, there is probably a reason why I'm choosing to share these particular poems at this particular point in time but I genuinely can't fathom what it might possibly be.)

"working girl" (I was going through an e.e. cummings phase so forgive the lack of capitalization.)

an unmatched beauty
quick-witted
and eager to please
walks down sunset.
the thoroughbred gait,
cheshire cat smile
and gleam in her eye
try to protect her soul.
she is quite particular
though less so than before
as she scopes out
her next partner.
soon the dance
will begin again
and if she can
she will lead.
at some point
she will go home
to the place
where she lives.
there she will find
her only refuge
from the place
where she dies.

(That was cheery, no?)

I think it will be a good thing to intersperse my poetry with my "slice of life" tales as it is a different type of reflection of my life, my interests, my fears and my joys and offers additional insight into who I am. More and more lately, I'm realizing that I AM a writer. It might not ever be my profession but it is my passion and one, with which, I am all too happy to be getting reacquainted.