I recently read and reviewed Kellie Elmore's newly released book MAGIC IN THE BACKYARD and was intrigued by her poem "Tumbleweed" so I asked her to stop by my blog and give me the lowdown on what inspired her to write it. Thanks, Kellie for indulging me and visiting my blog!
Tumbleweed
She
saw her life as a
tired
progression; exciting as
a
Cannes film about some trailer park
in
the middle of the desert,
she
watched it running past her
like
a tumbleweed, leaving her
in
the dust. Trapped—in this
desolate
town with dreams falling
from
her fingertips and hope
from
her eyes, but where
would
that highway take her?
Where—would
it lead if
she
jumped on its back in
a
spontaneous effort to find
something
greater than
what
she knew, and would she
even
recognize it after being
blinded
by the numbered, un-named
signs
that line this county, or
would
there fall on her a sick and
un-digestible
feeling of remorse in
the
realization that ghosts will
follow
you no matter where you
run,
and hiding is not an option.
Home—this
is home, she thought,
and
the craving for greener grass
will
never be satisfied until she
takes
time to tend to the weeds.
Tumbleweed
was written during one of those times when I felt the need to "run".
I think we all go through periods in life where the grass looks greener on the
other side. Life can become monotonous and boring and we find ourselves
dreaming of new places, somewhere where no one knows your name. A place where
you can just start over fresh and become someone else, someone you always wanted
to be. That was the idea behind this poem.
Instead of
running, I began to write about running. I got my pen and wrote in free verse
all that I was feeling, everything that was overwhelming me and the reasons why
I thought "running away" would fix it. There were so many dreams
within my words but, for the most part, it was filled with excuses and nothing
I was saying was a good enough reason to just go. I found that all my problems
had a solution. All the little things that were suffocating me were being
brought to the surface and I was finding that I could repair them all right
here at home but, that would be the hard way. I had to convince myself that
though running would be an easy way out, of this town, of the struggles I was
facing, it would not bring happiness. So, I started to weigh the pros and cons,
and I realized that while I may rid myself of some of the old, I would be
bringing on new problems and how would that be better?
So, what I
learned from this exercise was that it's all about removal...You have to find
whatever it is that's holding you down and tend to it and if you can't fix it
(with reasonable effort) then the only other option is to get rid of it
completely. You cannot stay in bad
relationships, do work that isn't fulfilling, continue down the same paths and
expect things to just change. YOU have to make it happen...and most of the
time, it begins with yourself.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different
results.
Happiness
is inside of you...and so is sadness. It doesn't matter where you go, you take
it with you. If you are not happy at home, you will not be happy on a beautiful
beach, by the bluest waters, on a tropical island either. Your ghosts will
follow you, until you make peace with them and set them free. Pluck out the
weeds from your life and you will have room to grow toward the sunshine.
Kellie finds inspiration in nature and in the humble surroundings of her “backyard” – Southeast Tennessee. Through poetry and prose, Kellie writes freely about cherished and magical moments as well as tragic losses. Her goal is to take readers back, rekindle a memory or elicit a feeling. Charles Bukowski wrote, “If it doesn’t burst out of you, don’t do it.” Kellie agrees and states, “If it were not for my pen, I would explode! Writing is my happy pill.” Join Kellie as she writes her way through life’s journey – magic in the backyard…Visit Kellie's website at http://kellieelmore.com/
Magic in the Backyard
COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Kellie Elmore
Excerpt appears courtesy of Winter Goose Publishing
Thank you for having me, Heather! xox
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