Hourly Work
Stretched out on a sofa
like a page waiting for poems
I try to will the right words to appear
to fill the time with meaning
to justify my life
A Staples pen in one hand
a Dollar Store notebook in the other
I’m poised for work
resisting the urge to get up and see
whose song is playing on Pandora
I say NO to the cat
who wants to join me on the couch
I think about school days and factory labor
while watching the clock
and trying not to want
what isn’t so
A sheet of white cloud obscures the blue
from the window framed picture above me
The tops of trees only suggest their tallness
give the illusion of freedom from roots
Soon, the hour is up
I’m unscathed and unburdened
checking “poetry” off my list
while Brett Dennen sings
Ain’t No Reason:
We push back our debt
don’t think about death
It’s always been that way
_______________dVerse Poets Pub
May 21st, 2013 9:54 am
maybe words are just meant to fall into cracks at times
May 21st, 2013 1:18 pm
You paint such a very specific picture……Really Wonderful, Colleen.
May 21st, 2013 3:09 pm
whew…those last couple lines on pushing back the debt and thinking on death…sometimes i think we need to engage with life a little more before it will make its way to the page…you know…smiels.
May 21st, 2013 3:24 pm
never say no to the cat..smiles…just saying… and i like how the tops of trees giving the illusion of freedom from roots..
May 21st, 2013 4:34 pm
I loved this–the allotment of time–the pushing back debt–the willingness of the pen to cooperate–Lovely!
May 21st, 2013 4:58 pm
We push back our debt
don’t think about death
It’s always been that way..strong ending lines. Some days are just this way.
May 21st, 2013 5:45 pm
The ending lines are Dennen’s. Guess I gotta put them in quotes when I get home.
May 21st, 2013 7:02 pm
I love the scene you have painted here and the way you brought it all together.
You have a new fan 🙂
Cheers,
Delaina
May 21st, 2013 7:23 pm
WOW! This is all I can say!
May 21st, 2013 8:27 pm
Such an interesting piece – Staples pen and dollar store notebook caught my eye…and then the ending…food for thought.
May 22nd, 2013 9:17 am
[…] Hourly Work below or HERE. The couch is from Black Water Loft coffee […]
May 22nd, 2013 3:29 pm
an hour’s a good amount. like meditation or pilates or jogging, working your way up and keeping fit expands the limits, so long as you take recuperative time too. do you have any books by Natalie Goldberg or others to look at prompts?
May 22nd, 2013 4:42 pm
I’ve never like prompts like I don’t like sit-ups. I prefer to write whatever comes to mind and dance or walk. I loved all Natalie Goldberg’s books but not the timed writing, but maybe that something of what I’m talking about here.