Writing 30 Poems in 30 Days — Poem #1
Almost every time I have written poetry on Medium, it has been accompanied by a lengthy essay about the creative process, inspiring writers to find their own method of developing more complex prose. However, as part of my “New Year's Devolutions,” I have wanted to challenge myself not to feel the need to introduce my creative work with lengthy theoretical justifications.
Over the years, I have realized that I often over-introduce my poems because simply writing a poem and posting it almost feels like “cheating” to me, as if I didn’t put in enough work and effort to justify the post. But I have followed enough poets on Medium to know that this is not true and it is also a sign of my internal resistance to leaning into this more vulnerable side of my writing practice.
Consequently, I was excited to see Dr. Casey Lawrence introduce a 30 Day Poetry Writing Challenge on Medium. This challenge focuses on publishing one poem daily and then tagging your piece with “30dayswritingchallenge”. So without further ado, I have included my poem for Day 1 below and look forward to sharing more in the coming month!
When Lessons Speak Louder than Longing
I say all that to say
That I miss him
Even though there is barely anything to miss
Even though I made the mistakes
Even though I made a mess of the most mundane interaction
Made a mole hill out of a mountain of shame
And, as always
My mind will milk this for all that it’s worth
Because
For some reason
Lessons make more sense than love.
