In the race
to grow up
I was fast.
Spitting out childhood
like spent chewing gum.
The whiskey.
The pain.
The befuddled brain.
Staggering home
in the murky dawn
with razor breath
and lanky dreams.
Mouth full of lies
and silky
half-truths.
Isolated memories,
an archipelago
of shame.
Been there. Done that. No, seriously, I love the poem.
ReplyDeleteOh, ain't that the truth. You summed up my late teenage years perfectly!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job, Veronica. Really like spitting out childhood like spent chewing gum.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed by the complexity of the life described in this simple poem. Well done!
ReplyDeleteWhirling with Donald Hall
Wow, Veronica, this must be the anthem of every twenty-something regretting a misspent adolescence. I feel exactly what you described here. This is a really powerful piece and I can envision it as an important part of an anthology about growing up.
ReplyDeleteTwenty-something! Try fifty-something!
DeleteThe words were seemles in this piece..wonderful flow..and seeringly vivid..
ReplyDeletePerfect title! If we only knew when we were younger to slow down and not waste the days!
ReplyDeleteVery nice...I can relate
ReplyDeleteIf we are even half awake, we can and often do learn a great deal in those misspent days. The wordle words disappeared into your vivid description,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
This poem could speak to a multitude of people. Well done. I am so sorry for the late visit.
ReplyDeletePamela