Ode To My Gumption (Or Lack Thereof) Poem by Leria Hawkins

Ode To My Gumption (Or Lack Thereof)
Date: January 20,2012

I’ve written more prose, rhyme and drivel than I care to think
I’ve sang trite ballads of love and loss
Lamented of how you tore me from the sky
Then discarded me like a well smoked butt
And in between
I baked casseroles filled with our passions
Flambéed them with fire and tidbits of doubt
I slathered on oils of flattery, some sweetened, some spiced
Then dressed myself in finery to parade
On the thin ice of yesteryear’s dreams
I’ve stood in blizzards, decades long
Knocking on the door, but knowing damn well
I’d never be asked inside
I’ve sat down time and again, trying to pull my teeth
Scraping my innards dry in hopes of understanding
The words to the simplest songs
And, time and again, I’ve come up empty
“Dryer than a popcorn fart”, my grand maw would say
I’ve let the seasons roll on and over me
Cold, like winter rain
Never once putting my foot down
To dropkick the ball back into my court
Crazy, how love jacks the brain
Most of the time it seems a damn sight more torment
Than pleasure
Yet I’ve chased it like a dog for a bone
In hindsight, I have to ask
Where the hell did I leave my gumption?
Perhaps tied out in the rain, while I blubbered on of a broken heart
After all these years, one thing’s for certain
I could darn sure use some now and then

*********************************************
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved