completion: poem written, at long last

[ original assignment ]

It's late Sunday afternoon, and I'm only just getting around to posting my poem. I did write a rough poem as early as Tuesday (about the neighbor I've never met, incidentally), but have been tinkering with it ever since -- and not been able to come up with anything satisfactory out of it.

On Monday I thought, "Oh, I'll write a poem this week!" Riiiight. I most certainly didn't take into account just how hard it is to write something that's not corny or pointless.

Anyway, the poem I worked on all week wasn't working, and then today in desperation, I sat down and spat out a little quick thing just to get the juices flowing... and that little quick thing is better than anything I would be able to get out of the other thing. So here's my poem, composed in five minutes. It's untitled. (Hard enough to write the damn thing... I have to come up with a title, too?!)


Untitled, 11.1.09

I dreamt last night that I was in a coma
and you found out
and came back to sit by my bed
every day and all night
I woke from the coma and saw you there
you opened your mouth to say something

but I woke from the dream
my throat ached

so I kept my eyes closed
and even though I knew it was preposterous
and would never happen
you coming back I mean
although the coma part is unlikely too
I pretended I was still asleep
and finished the dream