Is this a holiday poem? — by drew myron
For weeks I’ve been trying to write a holiday poem.
Something short, not sweet, not too sappy but not too spare. A small poem tucked in a card. Heartwarming but not Hallmark.
This year I choked. It’s an impossible task.
And yet, I’ve completed this self-appointed “assignment” many times. Poem-on-demand was once my jam.* This year, I can barely produce a grocery list. My mind is dull while my inner critic is living her best life.
As usual, I turn to my “guides” for a spark. I scroll through horoscopes, feel the pull of magnetic poetry, mine my dreams, re-read Christmas classics, and more.
I even tried to think of this elusive poem as a work assignment from my (actual) editor. Every month I send her completed magazine features that are not nearly as difficult as this ridiculous poem assignment.
Give me words, I beg. Give me a message! Lift me, sift me, shower me with light.
I get a bunch of half-lines and thudding starts. So desperate I am that recipe instructions are starting to sound poetic and junk mail a bit inspired. My attempts at Christmas cheer are heavy coal nuggets with no jingle or jolly.
This pursuit for the poetic may be getting a bit obsessive, if not depressing. At this point, I’m running out of time and have surrendered to the seasonal shorthand of wishing everyone the same old blather: Happy Holidays, etc, etc, etc.
Hand me the Hallmark card, I’m happy to sign it.
On this Thankful Thursday, and I am grasping for gratitude. Because attention attracts gratitude and gratitude expands joy, each week I pause to express appreciation for people, places, things & more.
Today, I’m (a little bit) thankful for the struggle to write. I’m exercising the writing muscle, and practice and patience can only strengthen the process, right?
What are you thankful for today?
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* Get the editor! who says jam anymore? I’ve never used the word jam, nor have I said: that’s how we roll. However, I am guilty of saying to my husband in a sarcastically peppy tone: teamwork makes the dream work.
Come to think of it, I’m a little bit thankful for these tired phrases that now give me a smile when used ironically.
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Hello, and thanks for showing up.
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I always enjoy hearing from you. Send light, write to me.