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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: The Writer's Life (05/13/10)
I set the coffee to brew,
The scent wafting into my senses
Percolating the first thoughts
Of this sleepy morning.

I pack brown bag lunches,
Shrouding my thoughts of the commonplace
In the shiny foil wrap of significance.

The children are up,
Bounding and lively and making a racket,
Momentarily drowning out
My literary ruminations.

Childish exuberance
Knocks the orange juice to my freshly mopped floor.
Like the milk, no use crying.
I file it away in my memory, a tale saved to tell another day.

I sidestep the stickiness
And usher them to the waiting bus,
Each of them off
To discover their own plot and point of view.

My eyes veer to the blank page
Patiently beckoning from my desk.
I long to answer its call,
But the heap of dishes has a louder voice.

My hands disappear in the mountain of suds,
Muffling my muse with every swipe of the sponge.
Perhaps, just this once,
I will leave the mundane to soak.

Drying my hands, I take a seat,
Finding a few fleeting moments
To pen the precious thoughts
Before they meander from the path of consciousness.

I sit and scrawl,
Distracted from the distractions.
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This article has been read 1217 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Beth LaBuff 
05/21/10
You have wonderful vivid images here, from the orange juice falling, the coffee perculating, to the mound of dishes. :) I love your ending sentence, "distracted from the distractions." :) Heart-warming and perfect for the topic!
Brenda Shipman
05/24/10
This is rich in description. You easily captured me, and drew me into your world. Definitely spot-on for the topic! Favorite line: "And usher them to the waiting bus, each of them off to discover their own plot and point of view." Neat! Great job with this.

Tiffanie Chezum
05/24/10
Loved the imagery and the flow of this. Great job.
Rachel Phelps
05/25/10
I am always in awe of a well-constructed poem, and this is no exception. Great imagery and right on topic.
Susan Montaperto
05/25/10
Such a realistic portrayal of everyday life and how full of distractions it can be! Thank you.
Benjamin Graber
05/25/10
Oh - the imagery here is perfect! I really, really like this one - great job! I especially like the lines "Shrouding my thoughts of the commonplace/In the shiny foil wrap of significance", which stuck to my heart in the way a good metaphor should.
Lyn Churchyard
05/25/10
You may have called this Distractions, but I felt strangely calmed while reading it. When everyday life encroaches into my literary creativity, it tends to frazzle and frustrate me and this is definitely not good for my muse, but the actions of the narrator gave a vision of tranquility-even the spilt juice.

Thanks, you've given me a new slant on the distractions in a writer's life. I really enjoyed reading this, I hope it does well.