Tomorrow (April 1st) marks the beginning of National Poetry Writing Month, known informally as NaPoWriMo, in which I have been participating for several years. The idea is to write a poem every day in the month of April. The poet who owns the NaPoWriMo website is Maureen Thorson, and she give an optional prompt to follow each day (and she always makes clear that the prompt is optional). On March 31st she also gives an early bird prompt, for those of us who want to hit the ground running, I guess. If you want to see what the prompt is, please check out the website.
Following the prompt as best I could, here is what I came up with:
I Had a Life Before You
I had a life before you
but I can remember it
only in brief instances,
like a fragment of nightmare
recalled for a split second
late in the afternoon.
It's mostly like
trying to recall something
that happened before I was born,
so far removed is it
from the realm of my cognizance.
Each day you give me
the life I had long ago believed
was beyond my purchase.
Whenever I reach for you,
clasp your perfect form
and bring you to my lips,
you fill me with all the goodness
you have inside you.
And it is never decaf. - Jeff Barnes
Oh! That surprise at the end is sooo much fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth!
DeleteVery cool! I can't remember life before it either.
ReplyDeleteAh, a kindred spirit! Thank you, Susan!
DeleteI was guessing right up to the final line. That's what I like.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bennie!
DeleteGreat answer to the prompt and oh that lifeline I need so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny!
DeleteFantastic. Only a true connoisseur understands.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Thank you, littlelearner!
DeleteI loved your write! Perfect.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Annell!
DeleteMmmmmm... suddenly I'm craving a mocha.
ReplyDelete