Tenacious Optimist

Last year, I attended one of the Drawing Room sessions guided by Jamaican poet Millicent Graham. Along with another wonderful poet, Ann-Margaret Lim, we did some “auto-piloting.” What on earth is that, I hear you ask?  Read more here: https://petchary.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/auto-piloting-in-the-drawing-room/ 

Well, I did some work in the Drawing Room, and here is one of my efforts which Millicent has approved. It appeared in the Sunday Observer insert called BookEnds, which has apparently never been deemed worthy of posting online. Therefore, here is my small poem, which appears on page 3 with several others. It’s the shortest of the group. And it is virtually the first poem I have ever written, so bear with me… 

It is called “Tenacious Optimist.”

 

I must have blue:

a streak above dark hills,

a strip deep in the valleys,

a wave, cloud, moon

the ocean’s blur

 

the line between air and

water dancing over stones

 

a shift, a horse, a star

that bird