Six Months

Beckett is six months today, but I don't have any vitals on him because we haven't done the measurements, yet. He is wonderful, though. Last night, I came across this poem that I had to write for a class I took this summer. It was one of the hardest classes I have taken because it required me to write poetry. I am not a poet--not even remotely close to a poet. I love language. I appreciate poetry (some of it), but I do not write poetry or pretend to be lyrical. My professor did not expect us to be poets, but she wanted us to appreciate the form and understand what it took to write it, so we had to actually interact with the forms as opposed to just reading and analyzing them. And I give her credit, because I would not have understood how much crafting a poem takes if I were not forced to write them--and each poem had to adhere to specific rules depending on the particular form. There were rules regarding rhyme schemes and numbers of lines and types of repetition and syllable counts and meters and all kinds of rigorous rules that I couldn't help but break often. So while I am not a poet, and could never dream of publishing something that I wrote, I can amuse myself and others by posting the things I had to write for class here. They would not pass by poets standards, but they are not entirely awful, either. I will begin by posting the one I wrote about Beckett--before he was Beckett and things were very busy around here:



This poem had to be written in heroic couplets (I won't explain the rules, but in case you know what it is, you can see if I complied :))

Waiting

The visit begins the same way each time:
check weight (don’t look), blood pressure, vital signs.

The stethoscope is cold without remorse.
The doctor’s bedside manner could be less coarse.

Anticipation overtakes her mind
when doctor plays the game of seek and find.

With fingers crossed, she waits to hear the beat.
Its steady rhythm makes her tap her feet.

Da dum da dum da dum da dum da dum
fills her with calm awaiting what may come.

His health assured she breathes a heavy sigh,
and wonders still, what can go awry.

No peace of mind until the day arrives
when baby boy shows up to change their lives.

The passing days are filled with nervousness:
expanding space, eliminating mess.

The child is coming sooner than she thinks.
She wonders what will happen when she blinks.

Her anxiousness will finally subside
as sounds of congratulations are cried.