Sometimes I trick myself into believing that I’m doing something incredibly useful, when actually I’m just avoiding work.
Like just there. I spent an hour organising the University Work folder on my computer. It all started because I was looking for a good definition of 'journalism' that I knew I had in a Word document somewhere, and then I realised how jumbled my folders were. And I realised that this was utterly unacceptable. I realised that I absolutely had to fix them right that very minute or – or - the world would probably end or something.
Of course I couldn’t just tidy up the folders. Oh no, that would be madness. I had to read everything in them too. And that’s how I came across this poem.
I wrote it last year for Creative Writing. We were given the task of choosing a well known character and then dropping them inside an unexpected situation to see how they’d react. I hadn't written much poetry before, but I loved it. Trying to capture the music inside words. The poet teaching the class suggested that I break up the structure of my poem to mirror the character’s thoughts. That’s why it looks so fractured.
♥
Cinderella.
march 2010
I’ve lost my slipper, I say to
no one. And no one listens.
I have lost – I have lost –
lost –
Rain taps
on the window
like a bird; tap, tap.
I have lost – I have lost my life.
Where has it gone? It fell off
after the wedding cake, and the black
umbrellas, and the heart ache.
I have lost my life. Please nurse,
why has it gone? It sparkles
at the top of the stair.
But I’m half way down,
and I can’t climb up.
If you looked you might see it
still, a twinkle of light
in my eye. My story is not over
yet. But I have lost – lost –
They come past, now and then, to check
I’m not dead. Still breathing? Yes.
Heart beating?
Yes. Still moving? Yes,
yes.
But is this living?
You are old, Cinderella.
With your snow white
hair, and your lacy thin,
skin.
You are wallpaper
♥
(Pictures from: here)
Of course you couldn't just tidy up the folders! That WOULD be madness! This is exactly what I'm like: "Must find another distraction....." :P
ReplyDeleteI really like your poem!
Thank-you ♥
ReplyDeleteAnd I know. I don't do it on purpose... it was only when I looked at the time that I realised. 'Melissa!! What are you DOING??' (yes, inside my head, I do address myself by name, ha ha.) ...and then I wrote on here. I despair of myself sometimes.
Right. I'm putting the computer away now and will resort to writing with pen and paper.