(Re-blogged from Sometimes.}
Say What, SELF?
Talking to Myself is something I do
Listing accomplishments, dreams, and regrets.
Bragging to Self is always permitted
as long as the truth is told.
But sometimes I resent what SELF has to say
in questioning and doubting and high-handed
pouting over things that
I never got to do.
Travel might have been, should have been, would have been
had the opportunity and ability been present
much sooner in life than it was..
What’s that you say, Self?–
I didn’t apply myself?
I wasted much of the time of my life
on the mundane and unnecessary (in the grand scheme)
pursuits such as housework and not
enough adventure and travel?
Well that’s not the case! I hasten to say–
I’m not indignant, I just need to explain.
My years as a gadabout (now I only can write about)
Only regretting but never forgetting
the places I did NOT get to and sites unseen.
What’s that you say, Self?
I never got to Australia — why not?
Well you know the reason…lack of money.
No, it is NOT an excuse
a trip to my Grandpa’s land
never made the itinerary
until it was too late.
Well, I’ve been to Minnesota, where I’m infamous for closing the airport
twice in two years.
What’s that you’re saying, S?
Yes, indeed there IS now a sign on the door
DO NOT CLOSE OUR AIRPORT!
It’s the airport that never closes,
rain, sleet or snow notwithstandingl
but it did clamp down in a blizzard
(NO it is not fair to blame it on ME,
just because of a misunderstanding…
Well, OK, do you remember THIS, Self?
I’ve been to the jungle and mountaintops, where I slept in relative comfort
guarded by masked men with guns.
I love that cool, lofty city, high in the mountains–rebels and soldiers, and all.
Now don’t get judgemental and argumental, it was all pure and noble.
YES, I do admit to thinking as the shadow appeared on the wall–
what the hell am I doing here, after all?
What’s that you ask, SELF?
Now–don’t take me to task, prattling about morality
and culpability, and what would people think?
You know that I always bask in adventure and human rights
YES I was able to deal with the ghosts aflight in the nights.
So, sophistication was never my thing, and try as I might there was no chance
to be anything but me–boring old ME.
What is it now, SELF?
You remember it all? You DID love the days when I
could run through airports without too much effort,
and react bravely to full-gear soldiers with rifles, looking for passports
— and exist for weeks on a few Spanish phrases.
At the end of this sonnet, if that’s what it is,
Myself and I have agreed that no changes are needed
to worry and fret and make-up regrets, and argue and re-hash old times we would change
Now I can WRITE about memories of times when I REALLY was traveling…
not just in rhymes.
Very funny. Delightful read!
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LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! Everything about it! Yay you 🙂
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thank you, glad you liked it.
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Delightful tete-a-tete between ‘Self’ and ‘Self’. 😉
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glad you thiink so, im not sure he form is right and what the heck is an apostrophe in this sense
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The Sonnet form is not easy to negotiate – depending on whether we want to follow the traditional structures associated with the Sonnet.
However, I thoroughly enjoy your free-flowing style…… 😉 Hugs!
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wwhen I don’t know what I’m doing I just forge ahead. I vaguely remember the various forms, so I must have learned them at one time. I checked out some sonnets, one by Garcia Lorca, Blood Wedding, I think. It took me so long to do this poem, formatting especially. I need to get to work. 🙂 Thanks for all your input.
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I like this engaging discussion with self 😄
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I enjoy chatting with myself, also with my late best friend of 30 years, and my also late husband.
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That sounds interesting 😉
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all true, too… with a bit of poetic license 🙂
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Very enjoyable!
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Your SELF has a very engaging companion.
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you are so flattering…most people. just think I am weird.
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And that right there is exactly why I dropped out of Writing 201. That stuff blew my mind. What a beautiful job you did!
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aw just wing it…if I dont know what Im doing I just do it anyway. let’s keep in touch 😃
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I constantly talk to myself… but definitely not as engaging as your SELF. Love the post.
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me Self really understands me, just likes to hassle me 🙂 thanks SO much for your lovely comment!
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This is wonderful. My Self and I USUALLY have great conversations. 🙂
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one way to keep on the up and up. I tend to be too picky in lecturing Myself…who never listens!
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well, that’s good. I think we can all learn a lot about ourselves by paying attention to what we have to say.
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Well, you and your SELF have a hard relationship. But there’s a struggle for honesty and resolution, which can only be admired. Thank you!
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yes, this is true… I am always pretty hard of Myself, who is cluttered and irreverent, not to mention inventive and really some kind of pain in the aspirin…and she swears like a bad sailor.
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I don’t think your SELF should be so hard on you. It sounds to me like you’ve done a lot of interesting things. I haven’t shut down an airport even once. 😦
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there’s always a first time…even my dear son said “please don’t visit in December, Mom” the last two times I was there they were snowed in for days!
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That it a bit unfortunate. If you could control your gift, though, I’ll bet there are ski resorts around the world who’d be willing to pay good money for your services.
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I suppose it could be a good thing 😃
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Your SELF is the best companion as I can see. It’s more than enough to have a great time and create lots of memories that will become great stories to tell. 🙂
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yes it sure is
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Reblogged this on SOMETIMES and commented:
This post was first published October 16, 2015 here in SOMETIMES.
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It seems to me
at the end of the day
you can say you did
your very best.
Well done.
Wow, I’m a poet and didn’t know it. LOL
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🙂 its fun how a prose line takes on its own charm when in poetic form…
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I love this! I thought I was the only one who argues with myself in this manner. 🙂 Great poem, great post!
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nah, I even chat with my late husband and my late BFF… we discuss the election and the new overpass, and other stuff.
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thanks re the post…it was a class assignment last year, and I still like it as a sort of intro-post. 🙂
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