mirror
yesterday i read old poems
and laughed at myself
all that anger
leather
tethered
to skinny arms and broken heart
made up armor for mixed up girl
tough skin to hide behind
all painted red and pretty
somewhere along the line
i let it go
all of it
released it into air
that cradled and promised
watched it float away
waved goodbye
shed no tear
now, now
i sit in this same old kitchen
hard chair
curved back
worn slightly by years
of useful
use
i know the scars and scratches
that run beneath my fingers
each one could have been a sentence
or at least
a perfect word
etched along the surface
of sanity
marking time
yesterday i read old poems
and laughed at myself
:
::
October 18th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Beautiful. I understand that place.
October 18th, 2011 at 8:57 am
Magical.
October 18th, 2011 at 9:33 am
today
I read
your
new poem
and smiled
at the amazing way
you have with words
but
not
until
I sat gazing
at that
photo ..
loving
the
texture
of it
October 18th, 2011 at 9:40 am
how lucky for us you hadn’t thrown them out. lucky for us those scars and scratches are there on your fingers.
October 18th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Love this, Kel. Kinda resonates with our conversation the other day… Can totally relate!
October 18th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
beautiful journey of self reflection! I know what it’s like to read old poems & just laugh… great write
October 18th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Letting go…. Really need that in our lives… but it’s hard some times… I still have scars and scratches that I just can’t let go… Nice Poem Mrs. Medicrity!
October 18th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
An intense, fluent poem– I especially liked these lines:
all that anger
leather
tethered
to skinny arms and broken heart
made up armor for mixed up girl
tough skin to hide behind
all painted red and pretty
I think many of us know the act and lament the hours we spent on that stage. xxxj
October 18th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
nice…this is really cool…i keep all mine in journals and go back periodically and it is so cool to see how much we grow and change…
October 18th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Lovely words reflecting on youthful joys. Your poetry rocks!
October 18th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I carry scars and scratches too. Your poem spoke to me.
October 18th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
wonderful reflection… nicely stated
October 18th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Amazing beautiful… all so opposite to mine. Loved the hope and change of vision here
🙂
October 18th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
i know the scars and scratches
that run beneath my fingers
each one could have been a sentence… love this…
my oldest poems are 1,5 years old…still i love to read them every once and a while because with each poem there are the colors and emotions again…and yes…sometimes a smile and sometimes a tear or two..
October 18th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
It’s amazing when we look back at how much angst we allow ourselves to be put through and at how much time changes us, and everything in our lives.
Glad you have some lovely memories and emotions all stored up to share in your lovely words!
October 18th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Definitely know that feeling, going back through older pieces can certainly conjure up a myriad of thought. Great piece, thanks for the read
October 18th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
I love to go back and read old poems, or journals…the feelings at the time that seemed so important, so all consuming, now just vapors…
loved this 🙂
October 18th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
It’s good to take a look back and see how far we’ve come and to know we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Love this!
October 18th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
It is so fun to see how we changed as we go along. Sometimes you look back and it’s just bad, have to laugh at myself then..haha
October 18th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Oh, this is fantastic! I look back at my old poems from 10+ years ago, and I wince. I can’t believe how much anger I held inside back then. I love the repetition of the first stanza at the end. Thanks for the read.
October 18th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Love the poem, the sentiment expressed and the great way it circles back.
October 18th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
A poem about growing up and releasing anger! Wonderful! Our whole world seems so pent upon endless cycles of revenge and unending anger. I applaud the sentiment, and the wonderful way you have with these words!
October 18th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Oh, it’s fun to be able to laugh at yourself. I have done this before, too, with my old stuff. All the titles were so dramatic like one was Decay, lol. Love this part…
i know the scars and scratches
that run beneath my fingers
each one could have been a sentence
or at least
a perfect word
etched along the surface
of sanity
October 18th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
I adore this!
October 18th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Its great that we can laugh at ourselves when looking back at what was probably important then, but maybe seems trivial now.
October 18th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
I like the reflective write… I started keeping a journal of my writing, and so much has changed thru the years. Sometimes writing it down, releases all our emotions. Thanks for sharing this ~
October 18th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
This is entertaining and profound in that older is wiser after all.
October 19th, 2011 at 12:17 am
what a magical place and your ending I love so much how you read old poems and laughed to yourself
http://gatelesspassage.com/2011/10/18/farewell-my-three-legged-friend/
October 19th, 2011 at 5:34 am
Like and enjoyed reading this very much. I look at the stuff I write when I was younger and am amused at the angstness of it all. Better than a photo snapshot. 🙂
October 19th, 2011 at 9:44 am
This rings with absolute truth.
October 19th, 2011 at 11:01 am
We read a lot of poems that are like your old poems here each week. I often think how bittersweet they will be to those young women in a few years, and how they will remember those scars, those heartaches and hope they have days in paradise ahead of them with their family, a kitchen and love. Really well said here. Thanks.
October 19th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
wow. i am still exhaling. you always delight, amaze, and thought-provoke.
October 19th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
I have two ‘yesterdays,’ one relatively short and one from 30-some years ago. Your terrific write applies to both. Nicely done.
October 20th, 2011 at 7:04 am
yes! every experience!
every one!
good poem. thank you for sharing.
October 20th, 2011 at 8:10 am
See all the nice comments you’ve gotten on this post…
October 20th, 2011 at 11:25 am
love it, a fun read.
October 21st, 2011 at 9:06 am
Old thoughts looking forward . . . dreaming
looking backward . . . laughing.
For me youth is filled with hope, alas the future with regret. I’m not laughing.
Nice poem.
Cheers!