The Poet Returns

Yesterday, I made the grave mistake of not having something with a light-transgressive, semi-autobiographical, literary non-fiction vibe to it, in the pipe, ready to go for Day 21 of NanoPoblano.  I sat in the shadow of the muse who would not come, then went about every day, normal things like watching the Series Finale of The Walking Dead, a brief cry as it was ending, then after another couple of hours of waiting on that fickle genius one more time, watched the finals of Dancing with the Stars and called it a day… without posting anything entertaining or the least bit darkly benign.

Which led me to this morning. 

A day to play catch-up, and post TWICE before midnight.

There’s this thing that I, as one who writes, has had to deal with for practically EVER.  No, not writers’ block.  Well, yes, writers’ block, but no, not writer’s block this time.  The thing that happens, the thing I didn’t want to have happen in the month of November is, my writer’s brain defaults to… poetry.

This morning, I wrote a poem.

But not a poem the way I used to write a poem.  About me.  I’m done with that garbage.  There’s much more important stuff in this world to poet about than one’s own self-serving screed-lets.  Like calling out the world on its shit.  Like pointing my words at a problem the world created, and giving it no room to breathe until the problem changes.  The whole “speaking truth to power” thing, or in my case, telling power to fuck itself.  One thing I’ve learned by living a long time is how truly short time is.  So, this morning, I began showing on the public side of me what’s been changing on the inside for a while now.

And, when people wonder why I haven’t had a book go to print in almost five years, this is why.  And why, even when changes happen years before, it may take some time for those changes figure out how to make themselves known, to the public, even if those changes are common knowledge among the folks who know you best.

So for now, Day 22 of NanoPoblano… The Catch-Up Edition… is complete.  If you somehow missed this morning’s poem and wish to read it, just scroll down below the post you’re reading, and let me know if it, well, just let me know.

And with all that, I really will talk to you tomorrow.