Friday, April 06, 2007

Happy April

[Edited below with the poem's meaning!]


As I mentioned in Sunday's Google-age, April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate this, I've decided to return to that list of poems and maybe share with you all some other Lara David originals. Maybe I'll even try to write some new poems this month, too. I welcome any other aspiring poets who want to join me in opening ourselves up to critical eyes of the public - if you leave a link in the comments, I promise to come visit and give supportive comments. If not, well, thanks for reading my own work and leaving (hopefully) supportive comments of your own. :)

So without further ado, I bring you "Today Was My Day," written Spring of 2001:

Today was my day like no one's tomorrow.
My tears were my joy as everyone's sorrow.

I lent out my shadow, that in turn I might borrow

Someone's yesterday when I tire of tomorrow.


I learned of a rainbow and the tears it had shed,

Of a leprechaun's heart and the color it bled,

And I saw a blind horse with a goat on its head

That cried when it saw that its feathers had shed.

Never before had I felt so alive,
As when I saw that golden and red number 5.

So off of my minotaur, that I might survive,

I flew to the Angel of Dead or Alive.


"Help me!" I cried, in shame and dismay.

"My horse and my goat have both run away!"

I looked at him blindly - what else could I say?

But he looked with disgust on my shame and dismay.


"Enough!" Angel cried. "Come back tomorrow,

For I have a goat AND a horse you can borrow.

So cease with your weeping and wasteful sorrow.

After all,

Today is your day like no one's tomorrow."



I welcome any brave souls who want to venture a guess as to the poem's meaning...

** Edited: It was a trick, because there is no meaning. Literally - none. This is the only poem I've ever written that I wrote with absolutely no point and nothing in mind, except how to make a poem that had a cool rhyme scheme and interesting imagery. Sorry to fool you all - all poems from here on out will have a meaning of some sort. :)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really don't yet know the meaning but I'll read it a few more times and I'm sure I will then!! I don't have an artistic bone in my body except for my precious Bonsai.

Hope you have a fabulous Easter!

Anonymous said...

oooh.

I have NO idea. It's funny isn't it, I can read my old poetry and go "yep, that's when I was blah, blah, blah and he said that thing and I sat on my bed at Taylor street and I remember it was a nice day and..." but I am not good at interpreting other peoples poetry.

But I really liked it :)

Happy Easter my sweet.

Major Bedhead said...

I have no clue. I like the imagery (especially that red and gold five), but I don't know what you're trying to say. I'm hopeless at that sort of thing, though - I'm too literal, which is why most poetry goes way over my head, unless it's a poem about daffodils or an owl an a pussycat or the fog with its little cat feet.

Anonymous said...

I really like the rhythm and feeling of it - the pattern of the rhymes and the way it all sounds. Don't know about the meaning though.

Anonymous said...

Oh I SUCK at poetry. But I liked reading it. :P

Anonymous said...

I think it's a new version of a commercial for that sleep medicine. It's way better than the one with the beaver and Abraham Lincoln. I'm not surprised after reading your prose, that you also have a way with the verse. After many years of writing it in closets, I just started submitting my poetry.

Dani said...

I'm not sure of the meaning although I will think on it for awhile. I do think that it is beautiful.
Unfortunately, I have not written anything for several years but I'm hoping that inspiration (and some good ole pen to paper) will be forthcoming.
Beautiful work

TSM Oregon said...

I'll take a guess, based on my current state of mind.

This is about a suicide attempt and self injury. No? The angel, the red, the final answer that today is your day.

I almost emailed you today.

dancing dragon said...

I always wish I knew what the writer was thinking when I read poems. I haven't quite come up with an interpretation yet, but I noticed the interesting ABCA rhyme pattern, and that the last stanza's rhyme is a mirror of the first stanza's. :)

Other things I thought about when reading were all the contrasting concepts like (today, tomorrow, yesterday) and (no one, everyone, someone), and the imaginary beings vs. the real animals, but I can't quite come up with an interpretation. And I'm puzzling over what the horse and the goat represent.

I usually wonder whether poets and writers prefer to let readers form their own interpretations or if they are actually willing to share their own meaning.

Lara said...

r u serious? - bonsai is very artistic! i'm not sure i could do anything like that. happy easter to you too!

lala - i'm the same way. i remember everything about all of my poems, but i'm not always great at other peoples'. happy easter!

julia - yes, this is imagery-heavy, for sure. i'll have to make sure to include some of my literal poems too, just for you.

tali - thanks! i like the rhythm, too. :)

aly - well, that's pretty darn good, as far as i'm concerned.

nutmeg - hahahaha... i could see that, actually. maybe i should submit it to the company as a possible ad. ;)

dani - thanks much! take some time this month to force out some poems, even if they're bad at first. just getting yourself going is the hardest step, and this is a great month to push yourselves into more poetry!

TSM - no, not quite, though your interpretation certainly makes sense. and i welcome an email from you anytime. :)

dancing dragon - yay! i'm glad you noticed that, because i worked hard on that scheme. and in general, i'm willing to share my thinking about my poetry, but only after i've allowed for other interpretations too.

180360 said...

Great poem! I had no idea that April was poetry month...