Reborn at last

I started this blog a two and a half years ago, and haven't updated the design of it once in that time. As you can see, I did very little "designing" in the first place, either. One thing I did do was add a subtitle--"be reborn a poet!"--a line from the opera Tales of Hoffmann. Now, 30 months later, I'm finally posting some poetry.

I'm in a creative writing class this semester, and I've already posted one of the pieces I wrote for our fiction unit. Maybe I'll put more of them up eventually. Now we're on to poetry, and I've been very pleased with a couple of them, especially this first one. The assignment was to write a prayer, and to apply some kind of arbitrary rule to it--exactly five words in every line, no using the letter e, things like that. See if you can figure out my rule. The title is a clue, but it's still a little tricky. I'll reveal it at the bottom of the post. On a side note, this poem was "workshopped" in class, and literally none of my classmates had ever heard the expression "six of one, half a dozen of the other." My teacher and I were fairly stunned. How is that possible?

FOR CHRISTMAS, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME

Dear Santa, I can't sleep. The clock on my nightstand shows a pair of twelves.

It's Christmas Day. Noel. Even now you're speeding home to your wife and your elves,

But you see all, you know all, and I ask that you listen to my prayer.

You've been in every house tonight, but when I go downstairs I fear I'll find no presents there.

If that's the case, I beg you to change your course, make your sleigh turn around

And come back. Let Christmas Eve now get a redo, and with it a profound

Change in your philosophy. Let "naughty and nice" become six of one,

Half a dozen of the other. For if I've learned anything in my short span

On this earth, it's that mercy should be the hallmark of our species, not justice.

Win souls with reexamined doctrine--we ought to receive gifts at Christmas

Not by works, but by belief. Some say faith without works is dead, but don't listen

To that. I believe in you, Santa. So...can I get an iPhone? Amen.

I was hoping this next one would seem like a guy trying to get a girl to "go all the way" with him, only to find out at the end that he's actually talking about a much bigger commitment. It didn't fully work out how I wanted, but I still like it.

SEAL THE DEAL

It shouldn't be this big a deal,

Considering how long we've dated.

But she says "You know how I feel;

Putting labels on things is overrated."

We go out often, share our meals,

But our "coupling" is not yet consummated.

I make my eloquent appeals,

And yet she says "It's best we waited."

I cannot wait. Though I know that she'll

Be beyond annoyed, oh, she will hate it,

I have this impulse to reveal

Something; it won't subside, it must be sated.

If it's not on Facebook it's not real--

My relationship status? "It's complicated."

*In the first poem, each line counts down from "twelve" to "one" (like a child counting down to Christmas, or the 12 Days of Christmas), but in most lines the number is spread over two or even three words. Read it again, it's kinda cool.*