I’ve undertaken a new creative venture – poetry. Inspired by Poetry Palooza, a poetry-focused event I attended last April, I’ve joined friends who are also interested in giving poetry a try. 

Most people I mention this new venture to tell me they don’t read or like poetry. They had a bad experience with it in high school and lever looked back.

I can relate. My early efforts at poetry revolved around ‘roses are red, violets are blue…’ You can take it from there. In spite of that, from time to time over the years, I’d write a haiku verse or two. The ability to have a thought and express it creatively in very few words appealed to me. In the past months, I’ve enjoyed the mental challenge of poetry and dabbled in poetry forms both new and old.

I do not call myself a poet. I’m just a writer trying on a new creative venture. From time to time, I’ll share something with you. Here’s a piece inspired by recent headlines.

 

Miracles

A miracle happened: a pig heart 

successfully transplanted in a human

 

I will fight tooth and nail for

every breath I can take, the man said

We can sit on the porch a few 

more times, his wife agreed

 

The surgery ensured no human organ 

need be wasted on the man 

who couldn’t make a transplant list

 

Meanwhile, another miracle:

scientists discovered mice talk 

to each other in pitches

too high for human ears

 

Mice use language

quaking aspens communicate

whales sing, porpoises click 

 

They talk 

in languages we have yet 

to interpret

with intelligence we

are slow to respect

 

It’s a miracle –

 

A man gets to enjoy life for 

a little longer.

 

But did anyone ask the pig?

 

Free Verse

This poem is written in free verse. According to Poets.org, free verse is “poetry not dictated by an established form or meter and often influenced by the rhythms of speech.”  This website’s glossary is my new go-to resource for learning more about poetry.

Thanks for reading.