The first poem was written while I was covering a duty at work today. Like all my poems, I start with an idea and it usually flows from there. I didn't spend much time editing, so it was a quick write. It was penned quickly. Enjoy!
It was one of those awkward moments where
you don't know
what to do
what to say
or
where to look
All I could do was swing my arms and
occasionally shift my weight from my left foot to my right
It was me against them
Them against me
I wasn't keeping score
But it felt like I was winning
in this showmanship of awkwardness
Shooting my eyes to the left to try to think of something legit to say
Gnawing on the left inner part of my lip
Anticipating something--anything to break this episode.
Now for the master move.
Double the points.
I effortlessly grabbed my left wrist with my right hand.
© 2014 by Jamie Dunlap
Poetry Form: Free Verse
Topic: Awkwardness
Word Count: 113
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
Accept the Challenge and Spit Some Verses #NaPoWriMo
National Poetry Writing Month #NaPoWriMo kick starts in two hours and 55 minutes! I'm quite excited. I am challenging myself. I am determined to write at least one poem for each day in April. The pressure is on! No backing out now. I will be posting the poems here on the blog. Stay tuned for my verses! If you plan to join me, let me know so that I can check out your verses as well. :)
-Love, Life, and Verses
-Love, Life, and Verses
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Productivity Affects How We Endure a Storm
The sirens were blaring and I could hear the hoarse whistling of the wind tearing through the tree branches outside my bedroom window. I peeked outside just as a flash of lightening burst throughout the cloudy skies. I jumped back and walked to the couch. The weatherman was pointing to the colored area where the tornado warning was the strongest. My heart had started to beat faster and all my thoughts collided. What if the storm came to my area? I had no idea what I would do.
The weatherman kept saying, "If you're in this area, it's time to take cover." I had heard over the years that in a house you go to the tub and cover yourself with a mattress. I couldn't see how I was going to be able to carry my full size mattress in to my bathroom alone. That's the feeling that reverberated through my body. I was alone. There was no one there to keep me calm. No one to remind me that it was going to be okay. No one to help me carry the mattress. I was scared.
I wanted to keep listening to the weatherman, but I also wanted to stop listening. His report was adding to the tension. Sitting on the couch as the sirens continued to play was not working, so I got up and went to the bathroom. I started cleaning the tub, then I cleaned the sink, and then I cleaned the toilet. My focus was no longer on the storm outside. Inside my bathroom, it was calm and I was cleaning.
As I cleaned, the sirens stopped. As I cleaned, my heart beat slowed to its normal rhythmic pattern. As I cleaned, my thoughts were no longer racing. By the time I made it back to the couch, I was calm, and the storm outside had lost its power.
This whole situation ignited the thoughts of how productivity affects how we endure a storm. Whether spiritual, physical, emotional, or relational we all face all types of life storms. No one is exempt. I was literally in a tornado warning and thunderstorm. The things that allowed me to endure then are the same things that will allow me to endure during the other storms of life. There are four key things that should help anyone endure a storm.
#1. During a life storm, keep busy.
On the night of the real thunderstorm, I busied myself with cleaning my bathroom. When we are idle, we tend to replay the problem or conflict we are experiencing. The cleaning allowed me to keep my mind off something I had no control over. Basically I couldn't stop the storm by thinking about how much damage it could do to me. I needed to keep busy and focus on something that I could manage.
#2. Be around others
During this storm, I felt alone, and there was physically no one else around me. During the storm of life people often feel alone. In some cases, people feel like they are the only one dealing with a situation or problem. When people reach out to others they realize that someone else is also experiencing or have experienced the same situation. Usually if they have experienced it, then they can help others through it.
#3. Take cover
The night of the real storm could have been more serious than how things actually transpired. In any storm people should protect themselves. This could be protecting yourself with the Word of God. Saying a simple prayer of protection to comfort yourself, helps people to endure any tough situation. Apart of taking cover is preparing and knowing what to do in the situation. We don't prepare the best in the middle of the situation, but before it begins.
#4. Believe the end is soon
The hope factor is important. Believe that the storm will not last forever. The entire thunderstorm lasted about an hour and thirty minutes. The storms of life may last varying lengths, but it always ends. Every storm has an end time.
Prepare for the storm before it comes. People are often overcome my a storm that attacked them by surprise and they were not prepared to fight back. It's not a matter of whether or not there will be a storm. The occurrence of a storm is definite. When and its impact are unknown variables that we have to be prepared to handle.
I know I'm going to prepare by making sure I start lifting weights so I can drag my mattress into the bathroom during the next storm.
The weatherman kept saying, "If you're in this area, it's time to take cover." I had heard over the years that in a house you go to the tub and cover yourself with a mattress. I couldn't see how I was going to be able to carry my full size mattress in to my bathroom alone. That's the feeling that reverberated through my body. I was alone. There was no one there to keep me calm. No one to remind me that it was going to be okay. No one to help me carry the mattress. I was scared.
I wanted to keep listening to the weatherman, but I also wanted to stop listening. His report was adding to the tension. Sitting on the couch as the sirens continued to play was not working, so I got up and went to the bathroom. I started cleaning the tub, then I cleaned the sink, and then I cleaned the toilet. My focus was no longer on the storm outside. Inside my bathroom, it was calm and I was cleaning.
As I cleaned, the sirens stopped. As I cleaned, my heart beat slowed to its normal rhythmic pattern. As I cleaned, my thoughts were no longer racing. By the time I made it back to the couch, I was calm, and the storm outside had lost its power.
This whole situation ignited the thoughts of how productivity affects how we endure a storm. Whether spiritual, physical, emotional, or relational we all face all types of life storms. No one is exempt. I was literally in a tornado warning and thunderstorm. The things that allowed me to endure then are the same things that will allow me to endure during the other storms of life. There are four key things that should help anyone endure a storm.
#1. During a life storm, keep busy.
On the night of the real thunderstorm, I busied myself with cleaning my bathroom. When we are idle, we tend to replay the problem or conflict we are experiencing. The cleaning allowed me to keep my mind off something I had no control over. Basically I couldn't stop the storm by thinking about how much damage it could do to me. I needed to keep busy and focus on something that I could manage.
#2. Be around others
During this storm, I felt alone, and there was physically no one else around me. During the storm of life people often feel alone. In some cases, people feel like they are the only one dealing with a situation or problem. When people reach out to others they realize that someone else is also experiencing or have experienced the same situation. Usually if they have experienced it, then they can help others through it.
#3. Take cover
The night of the real storm could have been more serious than how things actually transpired. In any storm people should protect themselves. This could be protecting yourself with the Word of God. Saying a simple prayer of protection to comfort yourself, helps people to endure any tough situation. Apart of taking cover is preparing and knowing what to do in the situation. We don't prepare the best in the middle of the situation, but before it begins.
#4. Believe the end is soon
The hope factor is important. Believe that the storm will not last forever. The entire thunderstorm lasted about an hour and thirty minutes. The storms of life may last varying lengths, but it always ends. Every storm has an end time.
Prepare for the storm before it comes. People are often overcome my a storm that attacked them by surprise and they were not prepared to fight back. It's not a matter of whether or not there will be a storm. The occurrence of a storm is definite. When and its impact are unknown variables that we have to be prepared to handle.
I know I'm going to prepare by making sure I start lifting weights so I can drag my mattress into the bathroom during the next storm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)