By Daniel Paiz

NaPoWriMo 2023 is rolling right along, and it’s that moment where somehow there’s a groove to what’s taking place right now. There’s a rhythm to getting into this writing thing, and it’s kind of helpful to daily life. Expressing oneself in different ways is something that seems to be underutilized. That could be due to other pressing matters of life, and/or stresses of everyday existence and survival for some. That’s very understandable. Surviving can be tough sometimes.

One way to have an outlet to express what one is going through can be poetry. At times for this writer, it’s a fuel that just keeps one going and going.

Fueled

Imagine one night,

you’re staring at blue light, shining brightly at you,

you toss and you turn,

not having learned,

how to shut off what bothered you.

Fast forward next day,

what a collection of hours it’s been,

dismayed and betrayed,

up and down moments that don’t have to define you.

you try to express,

finesse words out loud to process or forget,

what took place that only you uniquely witnessed,

but no one is listening,

they stare yet not hearing,

clearly they’re going through motions with you.

Hello pen and pad,

grabbed instantly at last because

you dictate diction, suppositions,

screenshots etched and sketched in your memory,

play-by-play announcing,

anchored by your ideal voices announcing,

line by line,

you swirl and define, circle and underline,

what points will be put out.

Not to win or defend,

you know in the end,

this expression is mental alveoli to you,

the trachea gasps when a thought lapses,

but back on track,

as ink courses and fuels your thalamus.