Kellie Elmore's Tumbleweed - Guest Post

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 Elmore is a writer who knows no bounds. She believes self-expression is most beautiful in its pure, raw and unedited form. “No rules, just write” is her motto.
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