As a young kid, one is usually afraid of the dark. With age and maturity, that fear dissipates into a distant and laughable memory.
However, as an adolescent, I began to walk home alone. I became aware of the diverse presences prevalent in my everyday community, and I was forced to take on the responsibility of my own safety. This is not to say that my neighborhood is not a safe place, it is simply the realization that I could no longer rely on a babysitter to protect me from the dark and unimaginable. I remain immune to the childish fear of an unlit room at night, but the empty night streets, that seem to take eons to cross, are a definite source of uncertainty for me. Perhaps my apprehension is poorly supported, given that I live in a popular part of New York City, but that does not change the way I feel.
The above paragraph kind of sets the theme for some short poems I have written this past week, although one of my compositions is an outlier... :)
I do not know what it is, but I tend to observe everyday moments as a poem that is waiting to be written. Usually they are quite short, and the small size intimidates me. I am trying to look past the quantity, and I am sharing some with you today, so hopefully you enjoy reading some quick lines by yours truly!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUELINE LEE