Catherine on her balcony, opening her book of sonnets and smiling

Typewriter Poetry

 VINCENT HAS DECIDED TO LEARN TO TYPE

He’s found some new poetry he wants to share, and he plans to leave the poems for Catherine on her balcony. Each must be perfect – perfectly chosen, perfectly typed, and on fine paper. 

Perfect … for a perfectionist … is a state of being so very hard to achieve. He must first practice. Fits and starts deemed unacceptable, balled up, arc through the air to land square in his trash bin. But not all of them hit that mark! In the space of a few hours, his chamber is littered with paper cast aside. (Less than perfect paper, practice paper it is noted, because … Typos! Spacing! Splats of tea!) He’ll keep at it until he gets it right.

 Or decides to hand-write them after all.

 No, he won’t be thwarted by a machine. An Underwood for an under-worlder, as Mouse put it when he delivered the repaired, cleaned, and well-oiled machine to Vincent’s chamber.

 His best efforts will be found tucked inside her volume of Shakespeare’s sonnets, a sweet surprise for her to find. Perhaps he waits in the shadows to watch her read, to hope she hears all he longs to say. A private moment, to be sure.

 But we can uncrumple his first tries and sneak a peek …

 

HERE’S ONE

a typewritten poem on tea stained paper

 

 

All this time
all this effort
trying to prove
that making islands
of ourselves
is the truest form
of courage.

All this time,
all this effort
wasted.

Bravery
is the staring
into another pair
of eyes,
the steady voice,
the four words
softly spoken:
I
belong
to
you.

 

Tyler Knott Gregson
tylerknott.com

HERE’S ANOTHER … A CERTAIN TRUTH 

a typewritten poem on creased green graph paper

I loved her
not for the way
she danced
with my angels
but for the way
the sound of her voice
could silence my
demons.

 

Christopher Poindexter

AND A THIRD …

(reading took his own breath away) 

 

a typewritten poem on a page of newsprint

 

Someone is thinking of the way
your breath excapes your lips when
you are touched

Henry Rollins

 

DARE HE EVER WHISPER …

 

a typewritten poem on tea stained paper

 

All these words are
just a front.
What I would really like to do
is chain you to my body
then sing for days
and days and
Days.

Hafiz

 

OH!

(typing this one out, as he noted in his still-open journal, necessitated a fast walk to the pools and a long swim.)

 

a typewritten poem on crumpled business stationery

 

She kisses like a sweet devouring,
and I don’t know where to touch her,
because I want all of her.

John Green
Will Grayson, Will Grayson

 

ALL I NEVER FOUND VOICE FOR,

he substituted,
sighing with what felt, nevertheless, like possibility

 

a typewritten poem on newsprint paper

 

 

What if I kiss you?
Wildly?
Long kisses
so you
can wordlessly say
all you never
find the voice
for.

 

 

Tyler Knott Gregson
tylerknott.com

THE SEVENTH POEM
a wish he so wished to make, to be …

 

a typewritten poem on creased and stained heavy old paper

 

I
will crawl through
your hair,
tangled up and fallen,
and burrow deep
into your dream.
I will be the wish
you were too scared to make.

 

Tyler Knott Gregson
tylerknott.com

THEN I’LL BE UNHAPPY,

he’d once delcared. 

Except he wasn’t.

 

a typewritten poem on browned paper from an old book

Reason lost
the battle,
and all I could do was
surrender
and accept
I was in love.

 

Paul Coelho

AND THE LAST CRUMPLED ATTEMPT …

a truth beyond knowledge, his truth … their truth

 

a typewritten poem on crumpled lined notebook paper

 

The truth about
being hopelessly
and foolishly
in love
is that love
is not hopeless
and it is not
in the least bit
foolish,
but is and always
will be the most
hopeful and brilliant
thing our hearts
can beat true to.

 

Mary Kate Teske
marykateteske.tumblr.com

Vincent and Catherine in a happy embrace, Vincent smiling over her shoulder obviously pleased with the results of his poetry gift!

These poems were hidden in Vincent’s Chamber – as were a few more surprises. See the original WFOL 2014 Poem of the Day project here.

 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.