My Style
Just because it is my style
to do it all at once
does not mean
it is the best way.
Things That Changed My Life
If I had to make a list of
things that changed my life,
I could name some big things,
like being Ryan’s wife,
or growing up outside of town,
or where I went to school
or all the traveling that I’ve done,
which has been pretty cool.
But those things haven’t changed my life
as much as they have been my life.
So I would name the moment
when the jingle doorbell rang;
I wasn’t dressed, my hair was mussed,
so my heart gave a twang.
I get dressed every morning now,
ever since that lazy day,
so I would say it changed my life,
in a small, important way.
Unspoken Word Poetry
Unspoken word poetry:
for all the things left unsaid
that might feel awkward in my throat
but might be heard if read.
Pressure Canner
I have a pressure canner
that I don’t know how to use
but it came with this nice booklet
which is nice to look at, too.
List
I’ve got quite a list
of little things I’ve lost
and chances I have missed
and mountains I have crossed.
Lost
I still get a little mad
when I think about what’s been lost along the way:
that sweater that my sister gave me,
ones of my favorite socks,
that tiny piece of technology, probably plowed away with the snow,
the dirt I thought I’d never have a yard for,
the scissors that cut the fabric of my wedding dress,
the scissors that will hopefully turn up again.
But some things will never be found.
We were moving too fast and they were left behind.
What else did we miss?
We missed chances,
we missed opportunities,
we misunderstood,
we misspoke.
If I could go back and gather up what I’ve lost,
I’d blow past all the big moves where the things went missing,
and I’d go straight to the heart of the times we did have,
and try not to miss a beat.
All at One Time
All at one time
some of us like me
can wonder why the pixels are coming through
slowly, and in chunks,
even while we wonder exactly how they’re coming through at all.
Not Too Bad
Now that there’s a pill
for feeling very sad
how do we know what’s sad enough
and what’s just “not too bad”?
(I’m currently reading “Manufacturing Depression”)
Coffee
Today
is coffee making me anxious
or is coffee making my mind
awake enough to realize
how much I need to do?
Mode, Mean, Average, and the Truth
You could say I’m just a
seventeen-tabs-open,
sprawl-of-papers-on-my-desk
kind of girl.
I could say it, too,
because it’s true.
Some of the time.
Most of the time.
But not all the time,
and certainly not at my best times.
If I asked you to describe yourself
in five words, or five hundred,
either way,
would you describe your best self,
or your most self?
There are differences between mode, and mean, and average,
and the truth.
Which one will you be?
It’s up to one of the yous.