Thriving, Not Surviving
At seventy-two years old
Say It Again Challenge - Prompt: Write a satirical poem that repeats one line at least three times. Each time it appears, its meaning should shift or deepen.
Repetition can sharpen a point or quietly undo it. Here, it needs to do both.
Build your poem around a line that comes back at least three times. Each return should shift how it reads, shaped by what surrounds it and what’s already been said.
By the final repetition, the line shouldn't land the way it did at the start.
No more surviving,
I'd rather be thriving
Yes, for sure it is time for me
time for me to be
done healing see
I counted coup
Brother, it was not just you
~
I'd rather be thriving
Surviving takes working
all of the time,
it is a crime
I'm done with that crap
Now it's time for a nap
~
Surviving takes working
And the memories keep coming
that arise when we least expect
It is hard to accept
When memories come out
That we didn't know about
~
And the memories keep coming
Bring out the tissues as noses are running
It is a part of it all
We aren't having a ball
It is no fun at all, I say
I would rather play
~
Bring out the tissues as noses are running
happens, when memories keep coming
No more surviving
I'd rather be thriving
Definitely the right timing
At 72, to be thriving
~
About the Creator
Denise E Lindquist
Retired, working part-time as a Native American culture consultant. I have an MSE, and an ABD. I write on Vocal, and Facebook. Poetry, non-fiction mostly, and working on fiction. Wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
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