In honor of the fourth annual Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading (which I participated in last year, as well as in 2006, 2007, 2008 over at my knitting blog), this year you get a Very Special Treat.
A poem that I wrote.
This is a rare, rare thing. I like poetry in small doses, but usually don’t feel compelled to write it myself. The only time I do is usually during times of emotion stress–times when prose just isn’t expressive enough. And of those few that I’ve written, there are really only two that I’m proud enough to let anyone see.
Anyway, here’s one of them:
WAITING
By Deb Boyken
Anticipation tingles up my arms,
Dancing with light feet across my skin.Anticipation plays up my spine,
Producing trills and thrills of a shudder arpeggio.Anticipation shoots across my face, tiny stars
Burning my features into a taut mask of warmth.Anticipation spurs my heartbeat,
Trying to hasten the minutes ticking slowly by.Anticipation runs down my legs,
Racing muscles against tortoise time, crumpling my knees.Anticipation races through my fingers,
Making them slip and stumble in their regular tasks.Anticipation clenches my stomach,
Twisting fingers through my gut, pulling me forward.Anticipation beats in my head,
Booming the rhythm: “not yet, not yet, not . . . ”Anticipation stirs me, wakes me, numbs me, taunts me, frets me, mocks me.
My friend. My foe.
This morning’s constant companion.
An endless “soon” to live through, and then . . . !
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Oh! I love this! And that’s how anticipation really works – you feel it through your entire body. Delightful, and it put a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing this Deb.
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..February News and Annoucements
Deb,
I don’t do (read: read or listen to) poetry. It’s a wasteland for me . . . well, usually it is anyway. You snookered with with this one though. I saved the darn thing and created a new folder for it in the Liberal Arts folder on my computer.
What’s the other poem you wrote that you liked and what’s one of the poems you wrote that you are not “proud enough to let anyone see”? You never know; we may like that one better than this one. Uh . . .and I give you my solemn promise I won’t save either of these poems, after all, you already know I don’t do poems. Right? Right.
Well, that is quite a rave then, isn’t it? Glad you liked it so much!
But … if I shared the other one now, what would I have left for NEXT year? (grin)
–Deb’s last blog post..Anticipation
Melissa’s right, you’ve really captured the physical experience of anticipation here. Well done – and good on you for posting it! A step too far for me… talk about confident, eh?!
Joanna Young’s last blog post..10 Rounds with the Inner Critic, But Still Standing
Of course, I’ve been posting poetry for the Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading for four years now and it took me this long to summon up the courage to post a poem that I WROTE.