Day 365.

The Last Day.

Here it is. The last day. The last poem. I'd better make it a good one.

Of course, this isn't really the end. It isn't the beginning either. That happened a long time ago when a very shy, little girl didn't know what to do with her thoughts and feelings and found the littlest of outputs with a pen and a notebook. That was the beginning. This is just another chapter of that story.  A story that's being written one page, one line, one word, one thought, idea, and emotion at a time.

This year, they came out in poems.

I began the year as an exercise in discipline. Simple enough - write every day. Because, you see, that shy, little girl grew up. As she did, life's distractions got in the way. It was much easier to "not do" than to "do". There would be no judging, no vulnerability and no work. There would always be ideas floating around, and some of them would occasionally make their way through that pen to that notepad (or whatever scrap of paper was nearby). Some would even be shared with friends or teachers and a handful of other trusted people, while the rest of the ideas just lingered and loitered around, taunting and begging for release but never quite forcing their way through.

That's what this was about. Open the gates. Unlock the doors. Unhinge the box. Free the beast of ideas and creation. Let it roam. Make it work. Tame it. But never put it back in the cage.

What I discovered along the way was what I had probably known from the beginning.

• I love this. This is my art.
• I am good at this.
• It's OK if I'm not sometimes.
• It's OK to be confident.
• It's OK to question myself sometimes.
• People will support you and will applaud the effort.
• Little things matter.
• Inspiration is everywhere, in everything and in everyone.
• You just simply have to look, listen and to start.

The big question seems to be if I will keep this up next year. The answer is, "no". Well, not the same way, anyway. I will absolutely keep writing, and I will keep posting, but it will change. I'm not only interested in poetry. There are more things that I need to write, including finishing some larger pieces that were started years ago. I will be working on those.

My new promise for the new year will be this - one piece of week. It may be in the form of a poem. It may be a short story or an essay, perhaps a play or a musical. It could be a chapter from a larger piece. I may also share things more frequently than once week, if the muse happens to visit. The weekly schedule should allow me time to focus on and develop ideas a bit more thoroughly as well as competing more substantial things. The daily time limit was not always a friend.

I will also be able to start reading again! All of my reading time became writing time. I need to start consuming some words so that I have more to share. (the 1/2 hour every 3rd week while getting a pedicure just wasn't cutting it.)

With all of that said, I really want to thank you. The reason I posted the poems was to keep me obligated. If no one read them, then why bother. Not only did you read them, you supported and encouraged me the whole way through.  You are a part of my growth and my journey.

So, truly - THANK YOU!

Yeah, I know. Get to the poem already. How about two to rap up the year?



Oasis

You don't have to walk for miles to find the oasis.
It will be right in front of you when you open your eyes.
It may be hard to see.
It may not be lush
with palm trees and coconuts,
mangoes and papayas
or shaded by grass huts
or be fed by cool fresh springs.
You will need to plant the seeds.
You will need to build the huts.
You will need to dig the springs.
The oasis is there.
You just have to build it.




Flicker

Flickering.
Blinking.

Just out of sight.
Just out of reach.

The wind blows.
There it is.

Then it's gone
but not forgotten.

It's just waiting
for another breeze.