I know my blog has been a little (ahem) inactive lately. I’ve relied heavily on reblogs and some other miscellaneous posts instead of offering my weekly advise and insights on writing and craft. I’m sure there will be times I feel moved to write about writing, but for now, I’ll leave craft to the experts.
Since starting a new job almost six weeks ago (holy cow, I can’t believe it’s been that long), I’ve haven’t had as much time to blog and write. I’ve been trying to rewrite and edit Better Than Perfect in preparation for publication this summer. After doing an initial re-read of the manuscript, I decided to change the whole thing (75,000 words) from past to present tense. Needless to say, this has been a huge undertaking.
Today I’ve got a bad case of Almost-Monday Blues. I truly dread the upcoming week for many reasons. Consequently, I haven’t edited a single page today. Nor have I done any laundry or taken care of the many errands on my list. I have, however, written a poem. I’ve recently fallen in love with the haiku format because I believe it is an excellent exercise for authors who tend to be a bit wordy. (I’m not naming names. Okay, fine. Me.) Haikus force the author to be economical with words, which is an essential skill.
I’ve chosen to write about insignificance. If you’ve ever felt insignificant in a relationship, or at your job, or as an author, or even as a person in this big, overwhelming world we live in, this poem might speak to you.
Insignificance
Out of sync and out of step
Never good enough
*
I claw at my throat
Choking, gasping on the fumes
Of your selfishness
*
My words repel you
Unwelcome chatter from my
Detestable mouth
*
At last I’m silent
It’s what you’ve always wanted
My voice in a tomb
*
When I’m gone will you
Mourn at the funeral of
My good intentions?
*
When I close the door
Will soft echoes of despair
Whisper in the night?
*
As I run away
With my bag of broken dreams
Your screams follow me
*
I cover my ears
Drowning out the cries of your
Insignificance
All I Have to Say 
That is a real tour de force! We feel your pain in those lines. Stanzas five and six are brilliant.
LikeLike
Thank you so much, Jane. That means a great deal coming from you. I absolutely love your poetry.
LikeLike
You should do it more often Tricia. It’s only working at it that makes it any good. You seem to get there without too much effort 🙂
LikeLike
I hope, very much, that this series of haikus doesn’t represent how you are feeling right now. They’re bloody good but they are also one of the bleakest things I’ve read in a long time. Virtual hug.
Cheers
MTM
LikeLike
Thanks, M T. I’m okay. I’ve been in this place before, and I am feeling a bit depressed right now, though not nearly as desolate as this poem makes it appear. I hope I didn’t drag you into the abyss with me. I appreciate the virtual hug. 🙂
LikeLike
Glad you’re ok and no worries, you didn’t drag me anywhere, I just got the impression you were hurting a bit.
Cheers
MTM
LikeLike
I’m so glad you put off doing laundry,This was beautiful, it makes me want to learn more about haiku. Very interesting format. Good luck with your next new book.
LikeLike
Oh, thank you, Helen. I don’t write a great deal of poetry, but it sometimes helps me get over writers block. I think it’s useful to try different formats instead of plugging away at my manuscript.
LikeLike
I totally agree. I only started writing poetry recently, I was inspired by a friend. I realized it helped me through my mom’s lung cancer. In June it will be 3 years, writing occupied my mind from my troubles. I think you should continue poetry. That poem resonated with me, I feel people don’t see each other anymore.
About your manuscript, what platform or tool are you using? are you not able to do a: find & replace all function? that would save you time re-typing your tenses.
LikeLike
I’m using Microsoft Word. Since the book needed a good read-through and rewrite anyway, the time-consuming process of going through the whole manuscript was unavoidable. Now I’m tidying it up so I can pass it on to beta readers.
I’d love to read some of your poetry. Is it on your blog?
LikeLike
I am an aerospace technical writer by day. I am in between contracts and decided to learn WordPress and being Geeky it was easy. I have come across a writing tool is called Scrivener love the name of their site:https://www.literatureandlatte.com/ . Word is good for spell checking and comments, I only recently graduated blogging university, LOL and didn’t know where to start, so I created an e-Resume with WordPress, but now it is growing into something more. My poems are all on my PC still.
LikeLike
My heart broke at
“As I run away
With my bag of broken dreams
Your screams follow me”
Just beautiful, Tricia. Thank you.
LikeLike
Thanks for your feedback and for reblogging, Linda. I’m touched that this poem seemed to strike a chord with people.
LikeLike
Probably more than we know. It struck me from several different times in my life, so my guess is it did the same to others. Just one of those universal truths we’re sometimes lucky enough to throw out there! Glad I caught it as it went past.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on LindaSTaylor and commented:
This must be the week for heart-broken poetry. This one comes from a slightly angle, but still beautifully painful. With many thanks to Tricia Drammeh. Please read through the haiku.
LikeLike
A really great poem, and a really interesting format 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Harliqueen. I need to experiment with some different formats.
LikeLike
Wow that really hits home…right in the gut. Thanks?
LikeLike
Oh no, Yvette. I hope you didn’t find it too depressing. We’ve all been in that sad place where we feel insignificant, but I can tell you that you’ve been a very significant person in my life. I really miss you!
LikeLike
That was truly beautiful, Tricia. I feel your pain and your frustration. I too am my hardest critic and often feel mired by self-doubt and feelings of insignificance. It’s that action isn’t it? Of always juggling and never quite keeping all the balls in the air sufficiently, then castigating yourself for you failures when in fact, NOBODY could take on so much and succeed in everything. We must learn to be kind to ourselves and block out those negative voices, whether they come from others or ourselves. A really exquisite poem sweetie, it really spoke to me. Take care honey, thinking of you. 😀 xx
LikeLike
I read this and then reread it. It really is something that I have felt, that insignificant feeling. And there is pain in it, for sure… I don’t know, sometimes it’s imagined, real and a bit of both. Don’t worry about blogging a lot right now as you have other priorities. We understand that xo Instead do things that make YOU feel important – because you are!! Sending you love ♥
LikeLike
Remarkable, raw and heartfelt…
Great poetic effect…
Best regards, Aquileana 🙂
LikeLike