10 Poems in 20 Minutes (1-24)

I tried to write a poem today, but couldn’t get started. So instead I gave myself a time limit. I’m not sure if it was worth it.

I Wrote 10 Poems in 20 Minutes
Day: January 24th

Poem 1:
They must not realize
They can’t.
Everyday an insult
A slight
Something that hurts somewhere.
I can get used it.
I don’t have a choice.

Poem 2:
I took down the Christmas decorations
Because I was told.
If you tell me,
I’ll do it.
But it will have no heart.
Only the work there.
All the work I do,
I tell myself to,
So there’s holiday missing somewhere else.

Poem 3:
He told me I was cute.
I don’t want to be,
I want beauty.
I settle
For this thing you give me
You give me the want
To put on makeup.
I want to change me for you.

Poem 4:
Only for winter
In my tired brain
It says:
Never leave here please
Stay where it’s warm
You don’t have to go
It’s all here
I can protect you here
It can’t go wrong.
But I have to get up to eat.

Poem 5:
Eating Thai
He says I like flied lice.
I look at his wife.
She says, it’s just silliness,
With her shoulders.
I stare at her.
She tells me to calm down
With a tug at a frown.
I eat my meal paid by her
And hate myself for not saying.

Poem 6:
If and when
I call you on the phone
Don’t give me advice
When I complain.
Just listen, please.
I know the things you say
Are right
True and proper.
But I don’t care.
I want to complain.
Listen to me whine.
Don’t make it better,
Don’t try.
Let me cry please
Without making it wrong.
By saying you shouldn’t
By improving me.

Poem 7:
My experience should mean little
To who I am.
My worth, I mean.
I may have lived under a great big house.
But you do not tease me for things I have not done.
You cannot know me,
Or find out why I did not do
What you seem fit to push me for.
You do not joke about my value that way.
Do not call me a child, baby, little girl,
Protected.
For you do not know, I haven’t told you,
And now never will.

Poem 8:
I want.
For sure I want.
Wanted hasn’t happened here with envy in so long.
Sit with me when I’m sick.
Please.
I feel bad alone.

Poem 9:
I didn’t do what I should have done
In your eyes.
I don’t know if I could see through your vision.
You don’t try to understand anyone:
Your way is best.
They should all see it my way.
It’s simple, and direct,
Don’t have to think about all that they seem to be saying.

Poem 10:
He said,
Thank you.
I said, no problem.
I hate you in my heart.
But I’m polite.
Never confuse kindness with polite.
One is curtsey
One doesn’t exist without motive.

10 Poems in 20 Minutes (Day Twenty-Seven)

Here stands day twenty seven. Well, here sits. More like, here pixelated. Well, here, anyway.

10 Poems in 20 Minutes
Day 27

Poem 1:
She said it’s sad and lonesome to eat alone
With effervescent condescension
She sat down to eat with me
My small meal
And she talked
I swallowed staring at the oak on the table

Poem 2:
Room full of little Hispanic kids who come from the neighborhood around the area
Here we are in this steepled worship place to teach what we learned
Betty touts around the little convert they made
Who tells all god
Look who we’ve saved, from this wretched surroundings, who we’ve
Brought into the light
Look at how good he’ll be
I know, because I tutor him
That he still can’t add double column numbers
Pray on the weak

Poem 3:
My name seems never spoken by these people
They each call me something different
All nicer than what I call myself
I tell people I’m introduced to my name
They forget, unsaid
I tell those who’ll remember
No one uses my name, all something different
Friends call me, family says, boyfriend tells, mispronounced
It’d be nice to have one I liked

Poem 4:
You puny silly humans
Look what I can do
I can make your trees bend sideways
I flood your houses
I pail your heads
I am god
The god we defeated with plastic

Poem 5:
Dead people in photos still look happy
Light reflected on them for just a flash
The paper saved it, till it announced they’re gone
But I can’t grasp the light around them anymore
I can’t grasp around a grave

Poem 6:
She said, let’s be happy, think happy thoughts
You’re not strong enough to bear untidings
She said, happy happy happy
I don’t want to be sad
There’s nothing wrong with darkness I want to say
Be she smiles thin
And says we’ll make happy memories
Happy memories will erase all the bad, and only leave good
Just like grandma who refused to remember all that went wrong
Saying, oh yeah, instead
You miss out on the joy when you’re all too teeth

Poem 7:
He struts around full of anger
Screaming on accident in the night when the c-pap machine
Disguised himself an enemy
They’re all wrong and out to get me
Ugh, why don’t they see

Poem 8:
Toast I gave to the white dress
Spilled champagne on my fingers
So nervous I guess
She took those emotions as if they were right to give
Beamed at me for speaking sentimental
I’ll never do that again
Never give what I don’t need back

Poem 9:
But why don’t you want to learn
It’s all you have to do now
Just learn and eat
How wonderful
Not to him
His makeup of a good person doesn’t include knowledge
So he battles around and scuffs and drags ignoring what he could take and never be taken

Poem 10:
Let’s look at their bodies because we can
Like we scrolled too far on the one picture they meant to show us
The look at little like me
Like that
Exposed from exposure and flesh flash