Nov
12

If Only I’d Been

born to rich parents;
I could sit to write
just dream up stuff
without worrying about bills and payments

born a genius;
I could already
have amassed a fortune
to retire and write about how I did it

disciplined from the start;
I’d be where I want
in life and in love
happy, content and free to write with abandon.

If I’d been free to
do whatever I want
without worry
I’d remove all obstacles so I could work at writing.

©2009 Shari Lynne Smothers

Prompt: Write a poem title using “If only (BLANK)”; then write the poem. This is my poem for Day 12 of the 2009 PAD November Chapbook Challenge.

Nov
12

I Made This

Shows over.
After the credits a clip runs
emulating old projector films’
look and sound.
The words show
Ten Thirteen Productions
and a kid’s voice shouts
“I made this!”

Remember? It ends
the closing credits for “X-Files.”
It caught my attention
and stuck with me.

It looked like it would be dumb luck
that something like that would work;
Or maybe the construct didn’t
and the only one impressed is me.

©2009 Shari Lynne Smothers

Write a poem about construction. This is my post for Day 11 of the November PAD Chapbook Challenge.

Nov
12

Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

I listened to the lovely rendition
sung by Ella Fitzgerald
Live in Holland.
And I’m reminded
it’s love year round
that hangs me up the most.

Reaching for a poem of love, or not,
I’m brought to a grinding halt because
“love” entreats me to think of romance
at which I’m worse than retarded.

So bad am I until
I can’t even give you
a love sucks poem.
Because,
as elusive as it all is to me
as infrequently as it visits me
in my quietest moments
I still hope to come into it.
Then I can write about
the happy circumstance of it.

I once wrote a poem entitled Mine
by request for a wedding.
If you knew the days and hours
spent sweating to find it,
you’d probably suggest I skip this
or talk about puppies or relatives instead.

But, alas I can’t as
I’m intrigued by my personal challenge.
Besides, from time to time
it’s good to know where I stand
with romantic language.

And unfortunately I see
I’m still not where I want to be yet.

Poem ©2009 Shari Lynne Smothers.

Prompt: Write a love poem, or an anti-love poem. My submission for Day 10 of the November PAD Chapbook Challenge 2009.

Notes

  • The video is posted at YouTube by bintangtheater1.
  • Over at my other site, Blog About It, poetry on demand describes the effort to finding poems when it’s difficult.
  • Mine is the wedding poem.
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