Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Angst-Ridden Poetry of My Younger Days

My cousin shared that her favorite form of self-care is to do bad watercolors while watching old movies, which reminded me that there was a time in my past when I wrote really bad poetry as an outlet for my emotions. So this morning before breakfast I dug out my old journal and read through some of the poems. 

There's quite a collection, and some of it is really bad ("I'm sitting next to the fire, but I'm shivering, and I can't tell if it's the fault of the open door or my numb heart"). I am throwing out any bit of ego I might have had to share these next few gems with you, but it's worth it for the laugher I know I'm bringing to the world. 


I. Water Stain (absolutely the worst poem ever written)

There is a water stain on my ceiling
It just showed up one day
Or did it?

When I saw it
   I wasn't sure
      If it had just appeared
      Or if it had been there all along and only just been noticed

The building manager says
That once it is dry up there between
   The ceiling
   And the floor above
He'll tear it all out and replace it

But I don't see how one could tear out
   Only a little ceiling (or floor)
   And wall (since it dripped down)
Without making a terrible mess

Funny thing, but just after noticing the stain
I found myself noticing you, who just showed up one day
   Or did you?
Perhaps you were there all along

Either way, I like you better than the stain
   And hope you'll stay
Long after the ceiling that is my upstairs neighbor's floor
   Gets a makeover


II.

I'm not sure what that was...
   The one-night stand
      The emails
         The phone calls

But I do know that I enjoyed it
And that I haven't giggled like that
   In bed
      On the phone
         As I walk down the street

In a very long time
So thank you


III. Pittsburgh
 
"A companion," she said, "is all I want
   someone to laugh with and talk with anytime"
"An on-call cuddler," I suggested
   And she laughed and agreed

And though we're thousands of miles away
   All of the sudden, we feel so close
Together in our alone-ness

...

And as I hold the phone to my ear
   A thousand miles away, I hear a sob
And from a thousand miles away, I extend my arms
   And wrap them around her

And the distance between us disappears
   and for a moment
      we are not alone


IV. Bird

Once there was a girl, who I will call "Bird"
   (for that is what I called her, actually)
And I loved her
   (for she was my friend)

And that girl is all grown up 
   (well mostly, anyway)
And I still call her "Bird" and I still love her
   (for she is still my friend)


V. Banoffee

You burned yourself tonight
I heard the crash and yelp
   from my seat on the couch

And I jumped up and ran to the kitchen
To see you with your finger under the cold running water
   cursing

And then I went and sat back down
  For there was nothing I could do but watch
And I was pretty sure you didn't want an audience

But I do know that the dessert which you are making
   (and for which you sacrificed the use of your finger for the next week)

Is going to be quite tasty.


VI.

I love fiercely
I live scared

What am I scared of?

That someone might love me fiercely back?
Or that he won't?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOLY MOSES, Pheebs. I am laughing so hard in corporate America that coffee just came out my nose. EFS.

Anonymous said...

"together in our alone-ness" that's what catharsis look like! -cous katie

jeff said...

Where was this talent when we were writing lyrics for the new album?

fibby said...

Ah, Jefe - these gems have nothing on my rhyming poems. Unfortunately for you, those will never see the light of day.