First Draft of a poem for Washington

Washington

Tonight the weight of the memories is too much to bear.
The things around me make me sick to my stomach: I hate
them with a vehemence I can't explain.  Even the pictures
make me feel queasy and inadequate.
Who was I then?  Who am I now?
I'm certain then was better.
I'm certain I was better then.
Weak, exhausted by the potency of the remembrances-
I can do nothing but let the tears leak from my eyes.
A weak cry.  I do not sob.
The beauty, the vastness, the majesty of a world
so alien, yet so familiar- a place I'd never seen
that I could immediately call home.
Reaching out to it now I find only solitude
and intangible wisps of color, textures, and smells,
nearly forgotten, on the fringe of a reality that is senseless.
Wilderness whispers to me across the miles.
I do not answer.

Well, that's where I ended up tonight.  Weird night in general.  My poetry professor is really pushing me and this is a messy first draft, but I'm avoiding working on a different poem about something I want to think about even less, so there you have it.  I have a love/hate relationship with poetry.  Anyway, this is just a first draft and I miss Washington.

Sweet dreams all!

Chelsea

Cary Brothers Saves the Day

Cary Brothers is one of the few musicians that has spanned many years of my life.  And still today when I listened to songs like "Ride" and "If You Were Here" I got goosebumps.  This man has an amazing voice and great lyrics and is just all-around inspiring to me.  He makes me feel like the world is mine for the taking while also reminding me of every tiny human emotion that trips us up along the way.  "Ride" was on the soundtrack to the movie The Last Kiss, which I liked a lot, but the song is an enduring favorite for me beyond the confines of the movie.  It's a song that always makes me stop what I'm doing and give it my full attention.  Here's the music video (mixed with scenes from the movie and his own stuff) but really, you should just close your eyes and listen....make your own pictures.  I assure you, they'll be beautiful.

In other news, I found another picture (this one from treehousestories.tumblr) that just makes me want to leave Charleston forever.  Look at this place...

mmmmmmmm.

And last but not least I'm reading Ulysses...and loving it.  What?  No you didn't read wrong.  Joyce is a genius.  (Although reading it with a group was admittedly, the only way I would ever be getting through it...so thanks Joe Kelley for setting this up).

Good night!

Chelsea