I Am

A Poem by Erin Lee

Was inspired to write this one after reading the Bell Jar. Figured I may as well put Sylvia's "I am, I am, I am" to the test for myself....

I am
Little girl discontent with pink.
Scarlet letter A -
One to walk round weeds
Tempted to tear them up
But reminded.

I am lost in teddy bear fantasy,
Delightfully naive
Sipping on stone soup
Making stew of grass
Before bedtime
And in bedtime stories.

I am

Straight from Happy Days
Where complications stemmed mostly from dizzy disco
Before tenacity turned terror
Graceless
Yellow-laced.
Before I knew the grace in a woman's touch.

I am
In search of adventure,
Dragons, jellyfish, snails,
Missing buried deep beneath the tide.

I am
Crashing God’s party
Bare of invitation
Or maybe it is in hand
Like a love boat stowaway
On payroll.

I am
On a Friday night date
With a gallon of Rocky road
Wishing on copper pennies
Collected at the campground.

I am
coloring out of line
On a boat destined
To swim at the bottom of the sea
Seated on coral couch.

I am
Siamese Fighting Fish
In Golden Pond’s bowl
Drinking beer number ten
Between aches and hotdogs.
When in Rome…

I am
Tangled in my tears
Behind closed doors.
Key hidden under bed
Cracked only for those
I wish.

I am
Exposed adult film star
With no film to show
Covered crown to foot
In what I chose reveal.

I am
Mad woman, less apology
For what I know as truth
Journal catching all,
Unlocking vanished fears.

I am
Turning off the road to hell
Chains of responsibility
Binding tight toward my will
to tailgate a silver Harley.

I am
Buried in looming fruit valley
Searching for your lips
In hilly jigsaw meadows
Complete with wilting willows.

I am
A working mother
Too deadline driven
To visit the dog day pond
And squeeze into spotted suit.

I am
Gardener of language
Choosing words with tools
Each a special child
In need of gentle care.

I am
Trapped in sojourn circles
As clothes in wash
Spin round and round
Flirting with payback’s cloud.

I am
Chasing careless words
Down darkened alleys
Littered in graffiti grime
Lit by special powers.

I am
Now a pretty poem,scribbled on a bathroom wall
halfway through,
and finally -
blind for all to know.