Poetry from the Daily Salute
“I’ve picked you!”
Life tapped me on the shoulder today and said,
“Shut up and listen a minute,
I hear your brain talking around and around
And it’s time you sit down and listen.
I’m not here because I think you’re the best,
I’m not here because you’re the worst,
I’m here to tell you you’re like everyone else,
Would you breathe a second before you burst?!
Yes,
You’re like everyone else
I said it! I said it!
Would you quit shaking your head!?
You’ve got millions of miles more to walk, don’t look at me with such dread!
You’ve got sunrises to see and wash over you,
You’ve got sands to touch and clouds to kiss,
You’ve got people to love and long rambling roads,
And questions to answer and hard work and bliss,
Yet you sit at your desk
Wondering ‘Why’ everyday, you sit and you sit and you sit,
And you question what you’ve done and where you went wrong instead of just listening for a minute.
“I’ve picked you!” said Life, “I have picked you to be right here, right now,
Together you and I decided that this was a part of your how. So listen, listen, listen child, listen to the way your heart beats. If you’re confused by the journey, the steps, the process, remember you’re where you’re meant to be.
“You’ll never know the answers, in fact, when you think you do,
You’ll find that you’re no longer living, you’re just sitting around, a nothing in shoes.
“So take a deep breath, my child, close and open your eyes, and take in the people around you, for underneath everyone’s disguise, is a vulnerable, loving human, who wants to know that they’re on the right path, that they’re doing the right thing in the right place, and I think, you can relate to that.”
Thank You!
I just want to say thank you.
Thank you.
While I sat on the train wondering what to write, while I worried and worried about what would sound right, as my back ached from leaning over the computer all day, as my stomach rumbled, ready for dinner to come my way, as I worried and worried about how I could say what it is that I’m grateful for today, I looked around at the crowd, all us sardines together, some speaking so loud, some ready to laugh, some ready to cry, some playing games, some with heavy sighs, and we’re packed, a bit smothered, no privacy here, and I looked at you and
Your Smile
Dissolved all my fear.
Thank you for your kind eyes that have seen many years but carry a strength that’s magnetic and clear. Thank you for your resilience, that in spite of us all, in spite of my stares, in spite of the cold
Your Smile
Shone bright and it warmed my soul. Thank you, dear stranger, for being so magical.
uncover
and it’s like…
i keep looking for her
wondering where she went
wondering where she’s hiding
if all her worth’s been spent
and i’m looking and looking
thinking maybe i missed it
maybe i lost her
somewhere deep in the distance
of my soul, of my body, of my light
maybe i drowned her out
smothered her with fright
and it’s like…
i keep looking for her
wondering where she went
wondering where she’s gone
if all her worth’s been spent
where’s her power?
where’s her soul?
where’s her gravitas?
her mystique?
the way she held a room
under her spell
commanded the space
didn’t dwell
on the bullshit
on the phonies and liars
the way that she carried herself
like she’d never expire
did it happen?
did i do it?
slowly over time,
did i torture and kill her until she was no longer mine?
and it’s like…
the more i look for her
the more i wonder where she went
the more i hide her deeper in my darkest recesses.
In that
Look for your bit of bliss
That little, teeny touch
That gives you power
Gives you strength
Gives you hope
Fills you with love
Though the moment may feel bleak
And the thought of it consumes you with grief
Look for that little kiss
That gives you courage
Fills you with relief
While the day may never go your way
And the next morning may come too soon
While the stresses of the everyday may beckon you to loom in gloom
Look for that little piece of magic
That lives in everything that is around
Look for that little magic
For, in it
Your life is found.
Be Real
I crumple up because it feels easier
I hold it all inside
Because I don’t want to bother you
So instead I tell you lies
And I find myself more broken
At the end of every day
Because I keep on killing the parts of me that long to say:
I am stronger than I think I am
And wiser than I’ll ever know
I’m prettier on the outside than the newly fallen snow
Inside my heart is massive, always feeling, feeling, feeling
My brain is my best friend until it won’t stop reeling
Reeling with the words it thinks that I need to hear
Like asshole, bitch, fat wannabe, ugly, disgusting, queer
But when I sit with you and I force myself to think
About the words I need to articulate
To help me back away from the brink
I realize that what’s holding me back
Is that I’m lacking honesty
And I can’t be nice to you
If I can’t be nice to me
So no more crumpling
No more whining
No more hiding how I feel
No more feeling sorry for myself
Time to open up and be real.
Nightly Prayer
Thank you for this day
Thank you for this life
Thank you for my challenges
Thank you for my strife
Thank you for the lessons I get to learn each day
Thank you for every flutter of love that comes my way.
Jillian Entenman 