Another blackout/ found poetry piece from the galley proof of my short story collection,
To see the whole series, follow me on Instagram.
Normal is as sturdy as a paper doll
battered about in a summer
rainstorm.
Sunlight shows its patched-up edges
and moonlight reveals it for what it
is.
I know normal,
but it’s already scurrying away,
the way most lies do
when confronted by truth.
This poem is linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.
This poem is linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.
Liner
Notes for this Groove: Dostoevsky once said, “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” I feel that way not just about tea, but also about Philadelphia's yearly Sakura festival. Rain or shine, I'm there. The gray skies may have kept away anyone who was afraid of being rained on, but I positively enjoyed myself. The light winds kept a steady
sprinkle of cherry blossoms going throughout the time I was there. And patches
of fog made my mind turn to things like yokai creeping around Philly.
So dear Groovers, are there any fans
of rainy or overcast days out there? Or are you a fan of something a little
strange or unusual? Tell me all about it on the comments section, or feel free
to catch me up on your week. The floor is yours. Also, if you want to continue
the conversation in your cyberhome, be sure to include that with your comments.
Song Choice: Singing in the Rain/ Umbrella mashup from Glee
let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea... am making that into a banner and putting it up on my wall!! We get 3 months of monsoon, but the first rains that end the summer and change the landscape are still such a source of utter joy. And what better than a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day!
ReplyDeleteI am always up for a very good cup of tea, but there is something quite satisfying in having it on a rainy day, isn't there?
DeleteMeh, normal is overrated. Also subjective. I think most people are screwed up in some way. Some just like to behave as if their brand of screwed up is superior to everyone else's.
ReplyDeleteExtremely subjective! And yeah, I have to agree we all have our weirdness. Brokenness shouldn't be a competition. It's not cool when people try to one up each other. Me, I'm a nerd. Always have been and always will be. I'm too busy loving that nerd life to bother with what the kids at the other table think.
Delete" Normal is as sturdy as a paper doll battered about in a summer rainstorm," .. This is incredibly potent, Rommy!❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks Sanaa!
DeleteI find 'normal' to be such a problematic term as it denotes anything that isn't conforming to the normative and acceptable terms imposed by an unequal society to be alien; so I love that it is scurrying away in your verse. Well-penned!
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel the same way about my chai and the rains. It's been drizzling for the last couple of hours here, providing some much-needed relief from the 40C temperatures. It's blissful!
I was so happy with that bit I created from the found poetry. It's such a great snippet on it's own. I might come back and play with it again once the hectic pace of April is done.
DeleteMmmm...chai... the mornings in Philadelphia have been chilly enough to justify a lovely cup or two. :)
Normal is definitely scurrying away and the new normal that is replacing it is the stuff of my worst nightmares. As for rain, I live in a rainforest famed for its torrential rains and wild storms. I loved them. They have disappeared and the warm sunshine that has replaced it, while enjoyable, is alarming. The ground has dried out so much, the trees are thirsty, the wildlife starving.............no rain in a rainforest is a worrisome thing. I do agree about the importance of a cup of tea, in absorbing these facts. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI remember some very warm days in winter, where everyone around me was happy and I felt like mad Cassandra standing in the sunshine. I hope humanity wises up.
DeleteSo many perceptions and realities, so little time to decipher, and know that all are probably lies. Loved this a lot. As for overcast days, they seem to energize my creative thought process if not my physical ones. I live in almost perpetual sunshine in Arizona, so the cloudy, stormy day is a treat not to be squandered.
ReplyDeleteI imagine a stormy sky would be beautiful over the desert.
DeleteWe will have cherry and apple blossoms here in Alberta in about a month's time. What a beautiful time of year!
ReplyDeleteI hope that your upcoming blossom season is lovely too!
DeleteI like the second stanza!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI only hope more lies scurry away when confronted with the truth. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI hope so as well
DeleteNormal, I know little about it. I love my abnormal. You are so talented with art and word.
ReplyDeleteAw! Thanks Susie. I'm rather attached to my abnormal too. :)
DeleteI love your poem and art piece! Strange and unusual, me dancing in the kitchen, when there is no music on, while my sister-in-law gives me a look! LOL! I love dancing in the rain too! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteHey, even when the song's just in your heart, sometimes you gotta go with it!
DeleteI enjoy rainy and overcast days, Rommy. Here in North Norfolk an overcast sky takes on beautiful shades and even the colour of the air can change. I don’t like umbrellas very much, only if it’s really chucking it down and I have to get somewhere in one piece,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I feel sorry for the paper doll, the summer rainstorm battering might be her one experience in life. Normal can keep scurrying away as far as I’m concerned.
There are probably many lovely rocks it can find to scurry under.
Deleteooh, I like that comparison ~
ReplyDeleteThanks grapeling
DeleteInteresting equation of normal with lies – and now that it's been made, I want to say, 'Oh yes of course.'
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I always love it if people come away with some new thoughts.
DeleteNormal is puzzling.I think most of population in the west have to take pills to live the normal dream which is a sort of an imposed fascist nightmare.
ReplyDeleteThe decision of whether or not to medicate is an extremely complicated one, that can vary wildly not just from person to person, but within a single person's lifetime. But I do agree that sometimes Western culture knee-jerks towards that direction, to the detriment of many.
DeleteNormal is routine... and what's normal for some is an adventure for others... but normal can be the norm of others, and then it's a prison...
ReplyDeleteI'm all for discovering one's own normal, even if it looks slightly askew to others looking in from the outside.
DeleteThe imagery brewed by the first two lines can feed a discussion for ages. I can see it as a series of short films (or, a documentary) in which a producer uses the same doll in the same storm under what s/he believes are the same conditions, just to realize that every shot will be different. There is nothing "normal" or "quantifiable" or as your poem suggests "sturdy" about the concept of being normal. Normal is fluid, attached to circumstances, a point of view... a very, very, very personal thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, I LOVE the blackout. Those glorious eyeballs have been flirting with me. Really!
Yes! Sometimes normal walks. Sometimes it scurries.
DeleteHeh, I knew you'd like the eyeballs :D
I wish I'd read this sooner....absolutely AWESOME piece. Normal is something I battle with daily lol XXX
ReplyDeleteI've joust with normal on a regular basis too. :D
DeleteNormal is dull and I am only enervated by extraordinary and unusual. Thank heavens many writers and their work are this way.
ReplyDeleteWe have to keep up a fresh supply of interesting going on if we want to grow as creative people.
DeleteEnjoyed this, it feels like piece inviting one to run away and see what everything looks like from a slightly different place/angle of light. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to get a new perspective
DeleteNormal usually scurries away so fast that it's impossible to pursue it, so why bother? :)
ReplyDeleteS'truth
Delete'Normal is as sturdy as a paper doll' so true … and yet, it can have a powerful lure after a nerve jangling period of unnormal. So much of life is wasted chasing after that which cannot be nailed down. If only we mortals were better designed to lean back into whatever comes our way.
ReplyDeleteThere is something to be said for stability
DeleteWell Said.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteOh yes - normal, what is normal? And yes, so often it does seem to scurry away right when you need it most!
ReplyDeleteIf you're quick enough you can just see it out of the corner of your eye as it leaves the room.
Delete