So we’ve passed the halfway point on the November PAD challenge. I hope you’ve been enjoying the poems I’ve shared with you so far. I use prompts provided at Writer’s Digest’s Poetic Asides blog for inspiration and today’s prompt was a bit different. The suggestion was to pick a favorite quote and respond to it with a poem. As I was pondering what I might respond to, a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson popped up on my screen, and inspired this poem. I hope you enjoy it.

Writing On The Heart


How do you write on your heart,
when your brain tells you one thing,
but your heart feels differently?
I tell myself I am alive—
I got out of bed this morning
and that's half the battle won.
I feel old and tired,
exhausted by dealing
with the chaos of everyday,
but I tell myself
there's only one alternative
to getting old—
I think I'll continue aging,
thanks very much.
I try to make the most
of each day,
to focus on the kindnesses
and forgive the evils, great or small.
I try to let it go like
a princess in a Disney movie,
but sometimes the heart
just whispers
this is how I feel
and the brain should just shut up
because it doesn't know
everything,
especially when it comes to feelings.
Sometimes when I try to write
joy on my heart,
I end up with a bloody mess.
But that doesn't stop me
from getting up every morning
and trying again.
What other choice is there?

~Elise Skidmore ©2020

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