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I
had lunch with Becca today and we talked
about... I'm not sure I can even remember
what we talked about. I guess
you could say we talked about Life. And we
talked about the poem I left in her
locker. She liked it and said it made her
feel scared and brave at the same time.
Like a small child who is about to take
her first step away from her parents out
into the world, totally on her own. I told
her that wasn't what I was thinking about
or picturing in my mind when I wrote it.
The
poem really came from me watching my cat,
Ollie, walking around the rim of this
round chair we've got in our family room.
The middle of the chair is a round sunken
cushion that's kinda like a nest and the
whole thing is balancing on a stand.
Anyway, the cat had been sleeping, all
cozy, on the cushion and the phone rang
and woke him up. He stretches and starts
climbing up the side of the cushion out of
the nest, all the way up to the rim of the
chair. And as soon as he does it, the
whole chair shifts on the platform. The
cat looks really surprised that his world
is shaking under his feet, but instead of
retreating back to the safety of the nest,
he is so cool, he tries the rim again.
Like he's testing the chair and gravity
and himself. He goes all the way to the
edge and that's when the whole chair
topples over, but of course, being a cat,
old Ollie lands on his feet, and walks
away from the scene of the crime without a
scratch. Maybe for him it was just a quick
trip down to the floor. Anyway, I think
it's a cool attitude to have, not being
afraid of the edge, not being afraid to
fall.
Curving
ribs
lashed tightly
TO a circular frame
IN a place
TO sit
TO retreat
INTO dreams.
SO
seemingly safe
deceptively
SO
WITH everything
HELD
IN balance.
Dare
to
test
the
edge
and
fall.
I
read the poem again and I could see how
Becca could interpret it the way she did.
I never showed my poetry to anyone and she
got it! I also can't remember
the last time I had such a real
conversation with anyone... probably
never.
We're
definitely communicating on a whole other
level. I can't explain it any more than
that. So if this whole thing, this English
project, was supposed to be about making
connections then Ms. Phipps is an absolute
genius because I feel like Becca and I
have definitely made a deep spiritual
connection.
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