LINKED POETRY: CHANGE 68, and BEYOND REACH 69

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.
 

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

 

68

Change

 

At thirteen

her world contained

confusing shadows

Hiding answers

to which

no questions applied. 

Teen years

slipped into brilliance

she perceived as sunlight. 

Then fading shadows

opened vistas of

rainbow-stained hues 

Inevitable change,

Promises targeting growth,

Indelible answers

Beyond reach.

 

*****     *****     ***** 

 

Ah, the springboard of teen years -- when everything is in a state of flux. Too young to understand body changes or thoughts that appear to make little sense. Unable to form intelligible questions, and wondering who to ask even if one could. Like the tangled aerial roots of a banyan tree, there appears to be no rhyme or logical reason to each new experience until, like the roots, they take hold and become solid support for continued growth.

 

*****     *****     *****

69

Beyond Reach

 

She works the front door latch.

Locked. She thinks, again

left in the rain.

Alongside, a window raised

for circulation, offers hope

once beyond reach.

Defeat is not

an option, she reasons,

inside or out.

Shrieks of laughter

in the back. A gathering.

Faces turn to her.

"Ever so long,”

they say, “we’ve

been waiting. For you.”

 

*****     *****     ***** 

 

The difficult years:

The confusion of not belonging, thinking she does not fit in anywhere. Also convinced she is the only one suffering this dilemma.

 

When, new accepting friends offer possibilities, though different from what she knows, it allows her to feel she belongs.

 

Eager to be accepted, her rationalization is quick. 

 

Was she even right to harbor such thoughts?

 

Then, realization. She is not the only one who felt insecure and out of place. Everyone must search. Most will find their niche, sooner or later.

 

*****     *****     *****