Writing about writing

Lately I've been getting back into the mode of writing poetry. I graduated with an English degree, part of which entailed a few creative writing courses. A couple of weeks ago I found my old notebooks from those classes, and decided that I missed writing. A lot, apparently, because once I started to write a couple of poems, the flood gates opened, and in the span of a few days I wrote about thirty poems. Of course, not all of those are anything noteworthy, and most of them I didn't even bother to finish, but I'd like to keep this momentum going.

Here is a small sampling of my writing. For those of you reading (doubt there are many), enjoy!


As the Song Progressed

Tonight I fell asleep on the couch.
When I woke mid-night I plugged in my headphones,
music shuffling, and stumbled upon a song I'd never heard.
Something on that mix you gave me, I think.

All piano and violin, it struck a chord.
I realized that if you were a song, this would be it.
It embodied that intangible something
that makes you, you.

Light notes gathering in slow repetition
growing in strength as the song progressed.
It grasped your essence; your soul, personified.

I saw you on a darkened stage, playing the piano,
listening as the song revealed your inner self--
the deepest part of your heart, in purest form.
It was like hearing music for the first time.

To the future

I'm starting this new blog to mark the occasion of deciding what to do with my life. I realize that most people search constantly for their special purpose, and that even with this new discovery in my life, it may change in the future.

For the past few years I've been questing for the perfect career. To be honest, I'd have settled for a sense of direction. My list of childhood dreams has been fairly widespread, from wanting to be a teacher's assistant to being a vet, a farmhand, an actress, a writer, the wife of a celebrity (my standards in high school were pretty low), and many many other strange occupations.

I decided to look into colleges based on their journalism programs, thinking that I'd like to write for a newspaper. Eventually I realized that there was a problem here...I didn't like to interview people, I mostly just enjoyed writing about my own perspectives. So I changed my major to English. I loved the program, and earned my B.A. in '08.

I got a job after taking last summer off, and just celebrated my one year anniversary there this month. I love my job, but that's just the problem; it's a job. What I've been searching for is a career, a lifestyle.

The exciting thing is that after thinking about it and talking it over with family and friends for many long hours, I've decided tonight that what I want to do is become a potter. I took two semesters of ceramics in undergrad, and fell in love. I've always been a big fan of the arts, and working with clay is one of the best things I've ever done.

I'm not sure where to start, but I guess tomorrow I'm going to look into schools and apprentice programs.

So here's to the future, and to all of you out there who are still searching for that special something that fills you with happiness and a sense of purpose. It's out there waiting for you.