Something Green

Creative Writing Poetry Slam 07 Semi-Finals Entry

 

So, I sat down to write a poem for this competition,

And I sat down to write a poem about alliteration,

But all I could think of were words starting with V.

 

I hate the letter V.

 

And you’re sitting there, looking at me, saying

How can you hate a letter?

What could the letter V have done?

Its not that the letter really did anything, it’s more that

It all started when someone, somewhere sat down to make a movie,

And now all of sudden everyone from 2 to 12 to 17 is all into anarchy,

And I have to wonder if half of them even know what that A in a circle means.

And you’ll say I can’t comment or criticize because when I was in 10^th grade I was all   into Anarchy.

Into Crimethinc and Fight Green!

Into communes and the hippie ideal of living free.

But that was because someone posed the question to me

Of why you should tell me

What god makes my soul sing

And why you should tell me

Who makes my heart beat

And why you should tell me

Where I can go or what I can eat or when I can breath.

Because you are not me

And that’s the heart and soul of anarchy,

Not whatever you paid 9.50 to see on an oversized TV screen

And I don’t mean to be angry or obscene

But everyone is a rebel now to be cooler then thou,

And all I wanted was a place to breathe and to dream.

Because I’m told to sleep when I can hear my heart like a drum and the spirits inside me are begging to run free on a canvas or in a notebook.

And I wake up when I’d rather be at a wake then awake, and yes, as the person lying down,

And the morning routine is wake up, get dressed, why are you wearing that, why are you wearing black, get some sun, show some skin

And it’s 8 am and I get the chance to draw and it’s almost like I can breath but then they stop in and tell me

No, absolutely not.

No nudity

Like it has to be an obscenity, like nothing natural has any beauty

And so I’m drawing with one hand and half a heart and it is not enough

And I have red ink inscribed on my brain and in my veins and over every thesis statement I’ve ever made saying This is Not Enough.

You are not enough.

I never wanted to challenge authority.

I just wanted something living

Something breathing

Something growing and green

And I know there are a few of you who have no idea what I mean when I say I hate the letter V

But you know what its like to want something green.

And so I guess, in conclusion, for those of you of like mind the others still listening, I should just say what I mean.

And that’s that when you drink your dreams without fears of being profane or unclean, then you’ll have something pure, and something green.

 

Reviews

[Arsenic Alyss]

Glorious, darlin'. I aspire to this kind of flow. : )