I’ve never understood poetry and Lord knows, I’ve tried. It always seems so vague and unclear and as if the poets simply write secret words and symbols for themselves. I’ve bought or borrowed multiple poetry books over the years thinking if I just found the right one, I would be able to understand poetry. Even in high school English classes when the teacher would explain poems I would think, How do you get that meaning from those words? I just don’t get it.  I even wrote a poem once and after that, I retired as a writer of poetry.

Recently, I was scrolling through social media, and I came across several people who were writing or saying what they would say if they met their younger selves for coffee. They were borrowing the idea from a poem written by Jennae Cecelia. Of course, I had to look up the original poem. Have you read it? It goes like this:

i met my younger self for coffee at 10:15.

she was late.

i was early.

i wore my dark brown hair in slick back bun

her hair was faded red and in her face.

i had dark blue jeans on.

she wore sweatpants with a few stains.

she lets out a sigh and has a good cry.

i tell her to release her feelings one at a time.

the scars on her have now faded on me quite a bit.

i want to tell her it won’t always be like this.

but I don’t.

she doesn’t need to hear

that things will be better.

she just wants a hug and reassurance of her feelings

during this uncertain season ahead of her.

we leave the aroma of coffee beans and baked goods.

i walk her home to our old neighborhood.

we won’t meet again for 15 more years.

but each day she thinks of the woman

who acknowledged her tears.

Finally, a poem I could understand! Well, for the most part. I want to know why the first stanza is written in past tense and the last two are written in the present.  Why is it all written in lowercase letters? Since I read it though, I’ve been thinking about what I would say to my younger self if I met her for coffee.  And isn’t that what makes for good writing…when you keep thinking about the words you’ve read?

Jennae has a poetry book coming out on August 12^th and I cannot wait to read more of her writing! I’ve pre-ordered it. Because writers are also readers and like to support other writers.

Here is the one and only poem I’ve written.

Ode To The Dog Walker

By Janet Sever

At my house, we only walk the dog with a yo yo

and we look out with pity at the poor dog walker

who must embrace all kinds of weather,

to ease the bulging bladder of her canine friend.

We go about our pedantic routines each day

hurrying to our far-flung destinations

while the dog walker,

she knows the rhythm of the street.

She knows the quiet, sleepy homes with their blinds pulled low

she knows the caffeine infused homes,

bright with the lights and the music,

that is the sound and the rhythm of daily life.

The dog walker sees the seasons change on her daily journey,

with the nuances in the weather

in the holiday decorations that adorn the homes

and the trees who dress and undress like an indecisive woman.

She knows the people on the street around her,

their rhythm, their fire, and sometimes their pain

and takes comfort in the steadiness,

of the predictability of life.

Perhaps I should acquire

a dog of blood and bone and fur,

so that I too can have the wisdom of the dog walker

and know the rhythm of the heartbeat of the street.