Tribute

This post is going to be a tribute to my sweet Great-Grandma who passed away last week. She was such an inspiration to me. She always had the greatest stories about her childhood. I miss her....a lot. I admit it still hurts to think about her being gone, but I have to remember: she's not gone, just gone on. I will see her again.

Tribute

I thought I was prepared.

I thought that I would be okay,

that I would be able

to let go.

I guess I was prepared

to let you go,

but I didn't realize

how hard it would be.

I didn't realize

how much I was hurting.

I didn't realize

I was holding it back.

But once I was able

to stop holding back,

to let out the hurt,

my heart has been made light.

The weight of my sorrow

has been removed

from my shoulders,

and I am okay.

I think you know

that I miss you.

I miss your stories,

that smile full of love.

But I will always

look up to your example.

You are such an inspiration

and I will always admire that.

Because I can continue living,

because I know 

this is not the end.

I will see you again.

Spaghetti

ummm....haha...well, this one has no rhyme or reason to it at all. I was in wood-shop class in high school, and I was bored because I couldn't do anything on my project that day. Sooooo....I turned to a kid and said, "Hey, give me a topic I can write a poem about." Aaaaaand....he said, "spaghetti." Yup, I took the challenge. :)

Spaghetti

The picture of art:

a spotless white plate,

spaghetti noodles

arranged perfectly,

bright red sauce - 

not slopped on the plate

but carefully

strategically

measured onto the noodles,

leaving no stain

on the spotless white plate,

A single leaf of oregano

tops the masterpiece.

In your dreams.

My perfect plate of spaghetti:

spoon a handful of noodles

on the chipped old plate,

runny red sauce

mixed with ground beef,

thrown carelessly

on the noodles.

(yes mom, I'll clean it up)

Shove a forkful in my mouth

slurp it up,

sauce all over my face - 

the picture of loveliness.

While I wrote this, I thought of all the cooking shows I watch - Master Chef....yeah, that's the only one I watch - and compared it to what happens when you let me cook dinner for the family. I don't care what it looks like (usually), just as long as it tastes good to the people I love. 

Roots

Here's another one of those poems where I compare people to things, but it's more obvious as to what I'm comparing a person to. I wrote this to describe the importance an individual has in this world. We all influence at least one person in one way or another. Sometimes we may feel fragile and easily broken, but we most often never see the impact we have on others.

Roots

I anchor this plant

that sustains other life.

I reach for water and nutrients

to survive.

My system is complicated and unique

and can be damaged

with one cut or tug

of the plant I anchor.

If left alone, I might die.

I depend on other beings

and occurrences to survive.

At times, when there is no rain,

I am dry and brittle.

Other times, when there are floods,

I am eroded out of my home

and left to whither.

I am strong, but weak.

I am invincible and vulnerable.

Some may say

I am the most important

of the whole plant.

Every inch I grow,

my plant grows taller,

every day growing

ever more fruitful.

Double Poem Post: "?" and "Answer"

Double Poem Post today! Why? Because these two poems are inseparable. If you read one and not the other, you miss the whole story. 

The first one has the most interesting title I've ever come up with, and I say that because it's not a word. It's a punctuation mark. I wrote "?" at a time when I felt very alone in the world. I felt like the whole world, family included, was against me. I was around age 15, so I guess it's kind of normal, but it was a very distressing time for me. I honestly felt like I had no one to turn to, and I often had few positive things to say about myself. My self-esteem was just so low, I wrote this poem to release my negative thoughts about myself that I had bottled up for a long time.

?

Dear Journal,

who am I?

This

I cannot answer

without asking

others.

I know

what

I am:

I am

lost

cofused

Empty

I know

What I am

Not.

I am not

Happy

Beautiful

slim

slender

what, then,

am I doing

here?

Who am I?

Sincerely,

?

Yeah, it's kind of depressing. But there is a very happy ending. In high school, I took a creative writing class for poetry. The teacher had us write a certain poem.......I honestly don't remember why, but I remember the experience left me in tears. I remembered "?" and decided that it needed an "Answer". It took a while to receive this answer. Lessons learned Girls camp, Seminary, and Sunday School contributed a lot into the answer. And I am forever grateful for them.

Answer

Dear Journal,

I have asked this before:

Who am I?

I cannot answer this without

asking others,

but others

have helped me find the answer

for myself.

I was lost, 

but I have found the path.

I was confused,

but I've always had a clear map

in my hands.

Who am I?

I am happy.

The world may think I am an ugly duckling,

but there is one

who knows

that I am a beautiful swan.

And I believe Him.

He knows who I am,

and I do

too.

I may not know my purpose,

But I know who

I am.

Sincerely,

Me.

I realize how long this post is, but I felt like I needed to share these two poems. If you are reading this, thank you for taking the time to read. I hope and pray that my words reach out to those who don't know what to say.

Growing

When I'm writing a new poem, I often find myself comparing people to other things without directly saying what the comparison is. This poem does just that. I intended it to be a poem that describes a person going through life and it's challenges, figuring out who they are and what they are meant to become.

Growing

It's damp

and dark

and cold.

I feel a need to break free.

I push, and struggle

to break open this cage

no more slumber

no more darkness

nothing will hold me back.

The cage is open.

I've broken loose

but I don't feel free.

It's still dark.

I stretch.

I know only one direction:

up.

As I reach up

I anchor myself.

The more I reach,

the more need

I have

to cling

to what I have known

for my entire life.

I've lost track of time.

My progress is slow.

I feel I might never 

reach my destination,

and I almost give up.

A final burst of strength

surges through me

and I reach

one      last      time.

The darkness breaks apart

I am blinded

by the sudden light.

I can still feel the darkness below,

anchoring me.

But up here I am

filled with warmth.

This new-found warmth

and light

gives me strength

and I still reach.

Excitement

of my success

makes me feel radiant

and I realize I'm not done.

I am closed up

and I need to unfold.

For a moment

I feel dejected.

How long must this go on?

But the light continues to shine 

and encourage me 

to keep going.

My progress is still slow

but full of purpose

and preparation for the day

I finally unfold

and fully

embrace the light.

Responsibility

Hello readers! How are y'all today? I hope you are having the best Monday you possibly can, because I know I did. I felt sick all day, I think I have an earache, and when I came home from a group study meeting, I had a temperature of 100.4(Fahrenheit). And I'm gonna be grateful for it, because it could have been worse.

Because of everything mentioned above, I deemed it appropriate to post this poem. I wrote this one last week, at a moment when I felt like I was about to explode. I still kind of feel like that. P.S. I thought the title was pretty clever, if I do say so myself....and I do!! :)

Responsibility

By: Melissa Blume

Too much to take in;

my mind about

to explode.

It all feels like

I'm drinking

from a fire-hose...

but I have to keep drinking

until I'm soaked to the bone.

So much to process

my brain shuts down

like a computer

with a virus.

The very thought of it all

makes me tired

to the point where

I just want to snuggle 

under a warm blanket

and not worry -

Just let all responsibility

Fly over my head

and sleep

a dreamless

sleep.

I now have two jobs, school, and life to keep up with. Lately it has been so exhausting just thinking about all the new procedures I have to learn, all the new names I have to memorize, lessons I have to plan - my whole self just wants to collapse on the spot and not have to worry about anything for a very long time. But, as we all know, this cannot happen. We can't collapse, we must endure to the very end.