Documentation

winter storm 

local newscasters stand next to
a purple level 5 marked severe
or maybe it’s a category but how
do you decipher conditions that
rarely touch the northern side of
California

the rain is uninspiring
whipping through neighborhoods
enough momentum to rip up
concrete while parking lots flood
of course I’m writing a poem

it seems almost hysterical to be
taking place the first week of a new
year an excuse to not complete or
start resolution building these ideals
can’t withstand the water

the go bag quickly expands as
disasters are often only in the shape
of endless thoughts or caskets
this what if manifesting through
unexpected weather is almost
enough to keep the creativity going

New year, attempting to keep the same accountability. The other day I asked my partner to give me a writing related task. He told me to separate my works in progress into “complete” and “update” piles. This would not be the first time I’ve attempted to have a visual representation of my revisions. Everything ends up piled in the same folder, file, hard drive. The upside is that there is not a lack of material to work with. If I were to peruse my old laptop, I would find even more pieces.

Poems about the topics I usually end up with: death, grief, medication, and definitions of love. The structure of grad school really forced me to constantly and consistently work on pieces. With life as the only remaining structure, the driving force is difficult to conjure. But not impossible.

The poem above was written during the unanticipated weather here in California. This level of flooding and rain is something that I haven’t experienced. Attempted a different tone that ultimately summarizes these small paragraphs. Onward!