Wednesday, November 19, 2014

I Am

Here we go - Poetry Jam's prompt today is to write about who you are or are not...your identity.

Mirror Image

I look in the mirror and -
I am 5
wondering what I will
do when my friend hits me
my mother says "hit her back"
I cannot
I will not
"So sit on her"
I can do that
she does not hit me again
I am little
I will not hit my friend
but I will not be bullied.

I am 6
wondering why a stranger
would say, "Hi, chubby!"
I ignore him
my mother and mirror
assure me I am not
he does not know me
in my outgrown red shirt
my happy bare feet
and dirty fingernails
that have built miles of roads
for my Tonka truck.

I am 8
wondering at a stranger who
tells my parents I am so grown up
to give him comfort
on the side of the road,
when he has hit our dog
with his car
as we wait for the school bus
I assure him, "My dog will be all right"
though I am a bit worried
that our dog will die
I do not want him
to feel sad or worried.

I am 10
wondering why my friend
says I
cannot be
in her special club
so I make my own
special club that she cannot
even dream to be in
but I cannot keep her out
I can't be mean
to my friend.

I am 14
and wonder why boys
all seem to want to talk to me
and my father is outraged
when a 21 year old
at the hardware store
asks if
he can date me
he is embarrassed
to learn that
I am so young
I did not ask for this
new kind of attention
I just wanted to buy
some nails for my dad.

I am 17
wondering why a friend
talks behind my back
spreading hate
power dwells
in rumors
but I will not be bullied
I work my way back up
from depths I did not know
existed
she is not a friend
I should have seen that.

I am 21
wondering about the future
wearing a veil
I say “I do”
to someone
who calls me beautiful
I will let him think so
he calls me wonderful
I think “if you say so”
we buy a house
we begin a
happily
ever after
as best friends.

I am 30
with wonderment
I hear our firstborn’s cry
I hear exclamations of “It’s a boy!”
“I know," I whisper
this is not a surprise to me
and two years later
neither is his sister
they are beautiful
and wonderful
who needs ultrasound
when you are given dreams?

I am today
still a child
a little girl
a young lady
a new bride
mother of two
and grandmother
I am who I am
because of all that has been done
because of all I have done
my husband still calls me
beautiful and wonderful
but my mirror says
he is the beautiful and
wonderful one

I am ageless
and wonder what will
be added in the
time that I have
been given.

16 comments:

  1. "I am ageless"..what a wonderful way to express one's identity...it's like a revelation..you've nicely captivated each phase of growth, the gradual unfolding is so interesting...

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  2. The beginning half made me sad but the rest made me smile. Wonderful emotion! And I love how this poem chronicles the big moments of your life.

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  3. This is quite lovely you have captured the wonder and magic of the adventure of life.

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  4. I loved your honest and heartfelt write. I like that you really wrote a poem about your identity and talked about it directly. I like that I get a sense of you from your poem, Donna. It makes me think that I would enjoy having coffee with you.

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  5. Great poem, Donna! I like what each stanza reveals about yourself. I think we are the sum of our past and parts. I am glad that you found someone who can still make you feel so good.

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  6. Luv the fact that you are ageless, and loved, and the build up to that wonderful place you are at, thanks for sharing with us

    Have a nice Wednesday

    Much love...

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  7. What a strong portrait of yourself. Sounds like you have been strong and kind all your life. Lovely.

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  8. smiles....cool write...and I like how you explore who you are through some of the things that shaped who you would become...and many of these speak highly to your character as well...

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  9. How lovely! Yes, ageless is right!
    Be yourself- the beautiful & wonderful girl/woman/bride/mom... always :)

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  10. A whole life in a few lines - most people's lives seem to follow the same pattern - but few people can explain it so well.

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  11. I loved walking through this journey with you. Your true values have been there from the start and you describe a true happily ever after. A pleasure to read.

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  12. Love this meander through the days of your life, Donna. It brought to mind one of those scenes from an old forties/fifties movie where the calendar pages blow away, interspersed with little snippets of defining moments. A very special retrospective. I'm sure it must have tugged at your heart strings writing it!

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  13. who life lived in few sentences, loved the poem and yes age increases the beauty

    Identity

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  14. Your poem is delightful. I enjoyed the autobiographical journey with you. I can relate to your ending.

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  15. Great take on the prompt, Donna. Amazing how other's view of ourselves shape and change us as we grow. But the is also the affirmation of self as we grow and the dependence more and more on our personal criteria to the point where others' views and opinions do not matter as much later on. Lovely poem!

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