Week 2

it hurts
how dreary contests lie
sweet victory
what farce braves your coast this morn?
what say you?
to a half-lit room
& a cosmopolitan haze
(REJOICE)
we say -- then die
disturbed by half truths
& whole truths
that are no better --
what you've gained
will never fill the void
of what you've given up.
salty tears slide toward her all but silenced lips
as she watches hearts break
from the inside out & back again.
porch swings hang
in a loneliness i recognize all too well;
i am doubtful of my courage.
when walls
(& white picket fences)
we build
are somehow still not tall enough
to hold out hurt
its as if all we have left to do
is rest upon
our elbows.

This is probably one of my most favorite poems I’ve ever written. I can’t really go into the details of the situation behind the poem, but through the words I was able to capture exactly how I felt, and how I knew someone else was feeling. It is amazing to me looking back, how we are able to rise up from something so hurtful and so all-consuming. And that we can be better people for it. Through each trial we learn something new about ourselves and who we can rely on.

This image was my very first time playing with textures and combining images. It was something I’d seen done a lot on Flickr (where I spent the majority of my online time back in 2010) and wanted to try. I didn’t have any photo editing software back then and so creating this on picnik.com is quite an accomplishment. But that was a big part of my project too…learning new tricks and trying new things creatively. I love how this finished image turned out.

Wondering about this post? I am sharing my 52weeks project from 2010 each week on my blog and analyzing the image and the poem with fresh eyes two years later. Its like they say “hindsight is 20/20” and I’d love to share the insights I learned along the way. For an explanation of the project and to start at the beginning click HERE.