It is Day Nine of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project.
I am very excited to be part of such a diverse group of poets for this cause. We range across the spectrum where our lives and our influences are concerned, but we share in common a love of language.
Take for instance fellow poet Claudia Rodriguez‘s lines from her poem “Home Run Blues:”
My dinger caught
by the window.
No rounding the bases
stomping home plate
with a victory dance.
I knew what the call would be
didn’t want to be caught looking
dropped the bat and took cover
from the spanking.
The poem is filled with vibrant and true depictions that enable any reader to share in the narrator’s plight. And the following lines I loved, especially the way Rodriguez plays with the all-too-familiar phrase “what a world we live in” and makes it her own:
Poor immigrants
living in poor Compton
no central heating, no tenants’ rights,
what a yard we live in.
My home run–
a curse.
Please visit the 30/30 Project page at Tupelo Press. Read some poetry and donate if you can. And if you are a poet yourself, why don’t you volunteer today to become a poetry “marathoner” in the months ahead. Details can be found on the 30/30 Project page.
Thanks for stopping by. Included below is my poem for Day 9:
obrienwriter 