Read Mary Oliver's poem below, then write about a time when you knew what you had to do. Get into that moment and feeling of determination. It can even be a lame claim to fame moment. Perhaps someone has a chance to do a shout-out to previous contributors.
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice-
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations, though their melancholy
was terrible. It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
but little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do-
determined to save
the only life you could save.
Hang up Stop the car Find a french-fry for bait A meandering canine Must stop tempting fate! I was recently on the phone with steve while driving down the highway and saw a dog roaming the lanes of 70mph traffic. I tried my best but he wouldn't come to me. I called scrimetime, a fellow dog lover for suggestions. He said "call 911". I did and they sent out animal control to pick the dog up. I scribbled these words on my notebook. -Silly, but within the parameters of your assignment Lil. I was sure the french fry would work!
I saw a pregnant pit bull jog down the highway median in the rain the other day. Before I realized what had happened, I was moving too far past, and it was headed the other way. I wonder how she would have behaved in my back seat. I regret not being able to try.
I fear I'll sound dense for saying this, but I can't tell if this is a comment or a response poem to thenewgreen's, because it has no line breaks but it does have a rhyme and cadence, accidental or not. Which is hilarious if it is meant as a plain old comment. I wonder how she would have behaved
in my back seat. I regret
not being able to try. Although I would tell you to consider rephrasing the second stanza so it sounded a little less inappropriate to say about a dog, haha.I saw a pregnant pitbull jog
down the highway median
in the rain the other day.
Before I realized what had happened,
I was moving too far past,
and it was headed the other way.
That's just awesome. I actually enjoyed reading it that way. I agree that the last stanza is a bit "dirty".
Totally within the parameters of the assignment. When I've used this assignment in writing workshops, the responses are usually about life-changing, identity-defining actions; however (mk, note semi-colon!), the knowing-what-I-had-to-do events that most quickly come to mind for me are more of the dog-bait variety. When it comes to life-changing actions, I usually know what I have to do long, long before I actually do it. I feel like Brutus before murdering Caesar where he said:
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream.
(Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 1, 65-67)
Thx, tng, for giving the snowball a push.
haunt past memories
taunting trembling
open the window and blow the smoke
Where did the sun go? The sun went to bed!
I rest my head.
See M instead,
I rest my head. DENIES IT.
"no need to cry she'll be fine," i and i tell i. I must rest my head.
I must rest my head, wake up early tomorrow and make my bed.
The eyes won't know what the face doesn't show
eat green live green carefree don't choke. "help me help you help yourself by listening to me. FIGURE YOUR SHIT OUT" she said
to my readymade bed i went. i went and rested my head.
I've failed to conceive of anything write
without it being banal or sounding trite.
So what I had to do is mutter this lowly utterance
In hope that it will pass the time. Maybe my short 21 years upon this planet
has left me with, as of yet, little to manage
But I wonder if beyond the horizon
Lays a defining moment Or maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough.
What I Had to Do What if my happiness and ease Requires my troublesome, addled friend's dis-ease My friend with his undiagnosed mental disease I know what he needs - but he won't follow any leads - won't plant any seeds or get up to speed on making this life a feast you see, I need to turf him out onto the street to fend for himself will he notice if I give him notice? check back next week