The poem of the day today from Poets.org is Day 29 (2020) by Jamila Woods. Her poem was inspired by Things I Didn't Know I Loved by Nazim Hikmet.
My poem-draft is inspired by both of them.
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| image via Unsplash |
Things I Didn't Know I Loved
it's January 1st 2021
i'm sitting at the kitchen table
my hands are cold
but the space heater warms my feet
i never knew i liked
being warm and cold at the same time
it's like
winter lap swimming
the steamy heat of the natatorium
the shocking cold of the water
the satisfaction of having swum
it's also like sweet and salty
i've always known i liked
sweet and salty
pancakes with bacon
chocolate pretzels
icing on crackers
it's nothing like clutter and order
or is it
i used to hate the clutter in my mother's house
my apartment was clean and empty
i was young
now i'm sitting at the kitchen table
my hands are cold
i'm crowded by books lists mugs
pencil case glasses case stacks of mail
pens in a cup headphones cat toys and
only the words on this page
have any semblance of order
at least my feet are warm
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2021 (draft)
Your poem today speaks to my heart. It (and your paired image) remind me of my OLW for last year—chiaroscuro. I haven't thought about the word for several months now, but now that I'm thinking about a new guiding word for 2021, it's resurfaced. Wishing you warmth and many other blessings in 2021.
ReplyDelete"At least my feet are warm"
ReplyDeleteSo much love for that line!
I appreciate how your poem takes us through both your short-term and long-term realizations and changes. How your orderly apartment has given way to your kitchen table of today is particularly striking.
Now I want pancakes and bacon. Thank you for that, as well!
Mary, I love this poem. Your stanza near the end describing the chaos around us and how words that bring some sense of order to that brought to me a pleasant smile. :-)
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