Introduction to Poetry

ByJody Lee Collins

I avoided it as long as I could,
skirted the issue like
a wallflower at my first dance.
Curious from afar about
such beauty and grace,
wondering at the words.
I felt unequal to the task
conversing with verse–
or worse–writing it…
why?
What if I was wrong?
I hesitated as long as I could,
delayed the appointed
time of our meeting
like an obligatory trip
to the dentist.
When at last we were introduced
(by a mutual friend)
my fears dissolved like
sugar in a steaming cup of tea–
the sweetness of the welcome
(toothache be damned)
was a pleasant surprise.
I extended my hand,
enticed by the freedom
of words on the page just so–
black on ivory, a gleaming smile
beckoning me to the dance.
I raised my pen and twirled.
~~~~~

The poem was inspired by a prompt from The Mischief Cafe,by TSPoetry Press,  
a volume of poetry interspersed with blank pages for your own lines, prompts provided.

Similar Posts

  • Juneteenth 2015

    ByJody Lee Collins

    Feeling the rain come cave-cool air, white and empty but for the breeze. Still water rushing the trees, sleepy birds sitting at rest call out the change while tone on tone chimes echo from far below. The drops fall – spare, invisible, too few. My dry, gray lawn is thirsty and longs for a drenching, healing…

  • Thanks Giving

    ByJody Lee Collins

    Friends and family leave words on screens and phone lines, dropping voices and laughter like golden pendants rippling across the surface of my morning. Bookends of baking–pies first and the turkey last– include potatoes, The Green Bean Casserole and sweet potatoes in between. Chimes outside echo on the warm wind of a rare November day,…

  • Merchant Eyes

    ByJody Lee Collins

    I stroll in  for a ‘few’ groceries at The Hundred Dollar Store, stopping first for what passes for sustenance  (never shop when you’re hungry). The bright-eyed toddler tossed in the air before me while parents wait for pizza, kissed by dad, hugged by mom, she slyly smiles, curling into strong shoulders.   I push away,…

  • Announcement

    ByJody Lee Collins

    Four thirty a.m. The “chree-chree-chree” sounds in the far off greeny bog. “Whis-tle” “whis-tle” “whis-tle” returns the call, floating notes through the open window. A chorus of chirps and cheeps overlap like leaves in a pile at the singing tree, all the feathered throats announcing– messaging, instantly– a new day never-been-done day, it’s-another-start-day. So I…

Leave a Reply