As we are working on planning the “all classes high school reunion”, someone asked for a copy of a poem that I had written about everyone back in the day (See the Fiends Are for a Lifetime post). I was sure that I didn’t have a copy any more, but went looking for it anyway. I found the poem, along with an entire box of my writing pieces from my high school and college days. My dream was to become a writer when I grew up. I am thinking about adding a new blog for all of this stuff. Most pieces are terrible, some aren’t bad, all of them have a story behind them.
One of my favorites from a back story perspective has to be the poem below. I wrote this for an in class creative writing assignment. The kids in class liked it, and I eventually gave them printed copies, one of which wound up in a science teacher’s hands.
I got in soooo much trouble! They were wanting to remove me from school and send me to drug and alcohol treatment. I thought that was absurd back in the day, and looking at it now, I still feel that they were out of their minds. As a parent, I look back on many of the things that we did as kids and the music we listened to and I am shocked by my own behavior.
On this one, I stand by my right to express myself, and I think the world of the creative writing teacher who stood up for me. You can’t have a creative writing class of high school students and expect them to write about nothing but bunnies and kittens. The irony of it all – I didn’t drink much at all in high school. All but the last two lines of the poem are about a boy. I dropped in the last two lines right before I turned it in when I found out we had to read them to the class.
Desire
I am here once again
My mind focused on,
what at the moment,
I haven’t got.
I am filled with desire,
and I wonder,
what can I do?
Will I ever have forever,
what I want badly?
Others have had,
and I have also had,
what I wish for now,
but never for long.
And so many times
I believed foolishly,
yes I thought it
would last forever.
But do not lecture me.
Because soon I will again
have what I want,
and I will again be
happy for a time.
Yes it will not be long,
And I will have another beer.