Hello…
“We’re all mad here. You’re mad.
You must be or you wouldn’t be here.”
Cheshire Cat- Alice in Wonderland.
I have poetry books
in every room, formed,
deformed, hardback,
paper, from Edgar Allan Poe
to my scribblings.
There’s not a day that goes
by I don’t hollow out a space
in my ribs for another poem.
When I think about it, my
poetry collections are little
shrines because there’s
always a candle close, some
incense, and a prayer for
a bit of talent to slip into my ink.
I skip prayers when
It comes to poetry forms.
Most of the time when
I attempt to write one it feels
like I’m forcing myself
into a push up bra that’s
never going to work.
Oh,
and those
shrine rooms
have no mirrors.
I do enough digging inside
myself reading and scribbling
I don’t need to peer into glass
to see my madness.
©Susie Clevenger 2025
NaPoWriMo ~ Day 7
If it's madness, it's the divine kind, I think. Btw, my bookshelves have your books in them too!
ReplyDeleteI love this, especially the lines about the push up bra that's never going to work! Delightful!
ReplyDeletePerhaps we are not mad when we recognise we all have a touch of madness inside us - I love your love of poetry and what it means for you - Jae
ReplyDeleteAn excellent analogy here, Susie. There is something to be said for lighting a candle at those shrines, and if the world thinks its madness, after all, what does the world know? Its own madness has overpowered it, and ours is really just sanity that can feel the wrongness that permeates it. Love this one.
ReplyDeleteI adore this. The shape of the final stanza reminds me of a spinning top and feels perfect for the words within. I feel the same way about most form poetry!
ReplyDelete"There’s not a day that goes
ReplyDeleteby I don’t hollow out a space
in my ribs for another poem."
Wonderful imagery throughout, Susie, a window into the sanctum of a poet's "shrine."
"Most of the time when / I attempt to write one it feels / like I’m forcing myself / into a push up bra that’s / never going to work."
ReplyDeleteFantastic. I, uh, don't know *exactly* how that feels, but still a wonderful way to put it!