Personal Poem

A 10-minute poem, in the style of Frank O’Hara’s Personal Poem
New York Writers Workshop with Ravi Shankar

I haven’t taken a lunch yet because yesterday I performed so badly
A story I edited was incomplete and so now the skipped lunch is my penance
But the bright spot is a coconut cream cake that Darren made
Half my Weight Watchers allotment for the day but I eat it anyway

All anyone can talk about on the internet these days is how much everyone hates Andrew Yang
But I don’t live in New York or on the coasts anymore, I live in the South now, might as well be Idaho
All I have to look forward to tonight is sitting on the couch and watching Alone
While eating roasted spaghetti squash and cold slices of watermelon

Maybe after this edit I’ll go for a walk and relive the time we spent at the park
I’ll admit these days it seems harder to get to that place
I start walking and before I know it
I’ve looped around the block without going beyond having said your name twice

In my new life I am surrounded by trees and squirrels and birdsong
And everything is drenched in sunlight
I think about how good it is for me to be in this new place
I think about how I’m not there anymore