Two Oldies But Goodies

When I Became Poetry
It was then I loved
Poetry and blue passions.
Students led to rain
Beneath concrete passageways
To feel January’s breath
Moistening the mind.

Told of the haiku:
A distillation of force
Of simplicity.
Not a poet then, but air
Pure and without complexity
Or torrential dreams.

Passion pierces stone,
Water eddies in thin streams,
Wishing to take form
Over my young, broad shoulders
To soak me into being.
I write in ripples.

Oak leaves drift downwards.
Though nothing else comes near me,
The rain is coming.
And if I open my palm,
With ears and eyes listening,
It will catch moments.

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This poem is one of my personal favorites. It originated in 8th grade, walking outside on a rainy day, as described, while studying haikus. And then the teacher had us write several haikus, which I did. Years passes and I got to college, and then I looked back at these haikus and wanted to do more with them. I learned of the tanka, which is 5,7,5,7,7, instead of the haiku's 5,7,5. And so I thought to make this a single poem consisting of four tanka. But somehow, I thought it was 5,7,5,7,7,5. I've probably lost many of you, but if you still understand what I'm talking about, then you'll know that I messed up with this poem. But I don't care, 'cause I like it anyway.

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What goes unnoticed
Perhaps I don’t look nervous, standing before you,
two legs crumbling beneath me.
But I am a piece on auction
and no one is raising their hands.
I am girl being sold into marriage
who cannot let her tears down
or slouch her back or bat an eye.
I am a fool in the stocks,
humiliated and revealed.

How close are you watching?
Has one of us blinked?
Here I am in the spotlight of a stage,
protected only by a practiced masquerade,
while you wait in the glare of shadows.

It is amazing what goes unnoticed.
It was easier when you saw me
as introverted and unfriendly,
not trying to see beyond the stoic mask
and drowning steady voice.

What lies in the tap of my feet,
the plunge of my hand into a pocket,
or the swivel of my head
as I look no man in the eye.

Loneliness and fear
I have sucked inside like a deep breath.
I must continue on.

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Every time I talk about this poem, I say how much I would love to be on a stage and start reciting this poem as if it weren't a poem, as if I was just talking. That'd really surprise everybody, eh? And I would be nervous too! But anyway, I like this poem a lot because I, personally, do tend to read into body language a lot. And because sometimes it's easier to be unknown to others. Not always. I like being around others and having fun and all, but sometimes... in the midst of it all, I begin to wonder which is easier. And I think they both have their difficulties at times. Anyway, I also enjoy poems where I compare myself to a girl because I think it throws people for a loop. Many things do I like about the poem. Hope y'all like these poems too, even if you've already read them before because, as I said, these are not new.