I am stuck in the trappings of poetry.
I have an exam to answer at 8 am.
I read and rejoice.
But I am sure
that I'll be overwhelmed
by regret in the morning.

Although, I’m mindful of the President’s tweets
and the pundits’ chatter;
And, while I keep up with the world news that matters;
Amid the pandemic, the politics, and the police brutality;
I often settle my spirit on . . . poetry.

I take some time.
I free my mind.
S l o w l y, I sip from a glass of smooth merlot wine.  
I relax,
I kickback,
and I ride the rhythm of the rhymes.

Because after a bit,
the constant “Breaking News,”
the quarantine,
the vanishing Lysol disinfectant spray amid covid19,
the social-distancing,
the quest for a vaccine,
the protest rallies,
the unsettling maskless scenes,
and the viewing of America’s racial unrest,
just invites unwanted and needless mental stress.

So, during these anxious days of shelter in place,
I retreat to a quiet and pleasing space,
where literature calms all worries within.
I find a book. Take a sip.
And, I warmly welcome fiction like a cherished friend.

as children we learn to write,
learn to read
things important,
things we need
but sometimes
in the thick of it all
we cry and chatter
crumble and crawl
lose sight of how do
we best through it all -
no, straightened with grace
noise crackles through
darkened halls
to we learn to write to speak our thoughts?
do we learn to read for dear knowledge sought?
It's important, we should ought
ourselves forget others eyes and
seek the beauty our hearts call for inside
we have hands and eyes and ears
time to learn, time is near
burning questions, waters clear
Oh God, let us have the patience to seek the truth, the dear.

I use metaphors
and you like
the awkward pause
My Dear
It would be
a lot better,
If you could see
all the signs
and let me read
all the unsaid words
between the lines...

To read is to breathe
To write is to drink
To listen is to eat and
To wonder is to believe

being stuck, they say, is uncomfortable.
i believe it’s not necessarily true. for instance,

...i like getting stuck inside my room and read for a day or two or three or four, forever.
...i like getting that last song stuck in my head for a day or two or three or four, forever.
...i like getting stuck in traffic with my pen and paper.
...i like getting stuck in the moment...perhaps, with you.

getting stuck is an opportunity, staying stuck is unhealthy

staying stuck on a single story out of convenience regardless of its completeness is poison mistaken for remedy