A reading from, You Better Be Lightning

“The Year of No Grudges, Or Instead of Writing a Furious Text, I try a Poem”
by Andrea Gibson

I know most people try hard
to do good and find out too late
they should have tried softer.

I’ve never in my whole life
been levelheaded, but the older I get,
I’m more level-hearted—

and I think we make gods
who look like us for a reason.
I think, in spite of it all, we trust

we can be believed in.
When I don’t believe in myself,
I try to remember I have walked

on water, like, seven-hundred times
in Maine in the dead of winter.
Where I come from, you can drive

a pickup truck from one side
of the lake to the other, and people
have an unusually high quantity

of missing teeth and fingers,
but you can still count on them
to buy whitening strips and wedding rings

because where I come from
beauty is in the eye of anyone who sees
what’s missing but can’t stop pointing

to what’s still there.
If there’s no definition for love yet—
I think that’s a good one.
…………………….

Thank you for visiting. I’m honored to share the first few stanzas from Andrea Gibson’s poem and to learn more about this talented poet and performance artist, who lost their life to ovarian cancer in July. Warm regards. Michele

If you missed my recent post, November, New! — sharing that Jade’s Broken Bridge is now available in audio format. My debut novel can also be ordered directly through me from my msefton.com. Thank you so much for the support received with my book project and much gratitude to those who’ve left reviews.

my lightning photo (September monsoon storm) / airport photo turned audio poem w/text

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