The earliest notebooks I can find of my own poetry is dated 2004, and so this has been (so far) a 15 year-long process for me. You can’t improve if you don’t keep writing, so I will be featuring old poetry, drug out from the catacombs of my teenage notebooks in order to provide juxtaposition to my more recent work.

Originally written in January 2005, this was submitted to a state-wide high school age writing competition through the California State University, San Bernardino. My sophomore English teacher encouraged me to submit a piece, and this poem won 2nd or 3rd place for my age group, if I remember correctly (the award is tucked away in some memento box somewhere.) At the conclusion of the competition, they published a small collection of “Teen Poetry” that I also cannot locate my copy of. Go figure.

In the Morning

The world is swimming

In pools of blue velvet

But I’m safe

On our bedroom island

Making sure not to

Fall out of rythym

With your even breathing

Inhaling the last breath

You brought to your lungs

The sheets scattered

But remain peaceful

We didn’t even touch

One another, fingers

Clutched to my chest

To quiet the rapid beat

As so not to wake you

Silently sharing

One anothers

Comforting warmth