This past week in my class CounterCulture we created Shout-Out or Invocation poems. This process began with reading 3 well known shout-out poems: Shout Outs: The Blue Oneness of Dreams, Invocation, and Shake the Dust. Out of all these poems, Shake the Dust is definitely the poem that resonated with me most because it was so relatable yet so inspirational. Personally, poetry has always been a point of struggle for me because I never quite understood how to choose my words so specifically to create such a deeper meaning but this process really helped me to learn how to pick and choose, especially after workshopping. I think what I’m most proud of is that although I was so nervous about my poem and not very proud of it, I willingly shared it and ended up with a product that is very close to my heart.
The Three
This is for the cream colored stucco house that greets me
The staircase that is the first thing I see
My voice yelling “Tippy!”
As his paws scratch across the floor
Racing for a belly rub
His snorting of excitement loud in my ears
This is for my shoes on top of the armour
ever since they were eaten that one time
But that doesn’t stop me from wearing them
This is for the familiar walk to the basement I’m positive I could do in my sleep
The marble counters I’ve made baked goods on just about a thousand times
Making the sound of the oven a commonly heard beep
This is for the calming sense of familiarity when I walk into the basement
Bruce the $300 shark pillow awaits me
yet we rarely fight over who gets to lay inside
Because we all know we’ll get our chance
This is for the LoveSacs Aaron bought when they first moved in – his $1,000 spending spree
To the rule: No texting during Workaholics
You have to pay attention, you can’t miss one little thing
This is for spending hours in Vogt’s basement
Not having to say a word to each other because there’s no fear of “awkward silences”
This is for our secret and not-so-secret struggles
Rarely talked about anymore but fully understood
Binding us together in a way much different than we do with any of the other girls
This is for best friends
Sarah especially
Who stood by me
And offered me her home
Through Everything