Filed under: DC life
we just started a new cycle of the teen parenting class we teach at work. i wrote this poem on saturday… it is a bit bitter sweet that we had such a great turnout. there are a lot of young parents out there that need our support.
3 in 10
© 2012 by margaux delotte-bennett
I have not been a Christian for quite some time
but I do worship the divine
in the wombs of the teen mothers I meet
not virgin births
but equally confounding
overwhelming
a conception that leads to questions
outside and inside
of this young shell
well? how?
why?
who? why?
when?
let’s not pretend you can’t see them
huddled at the bus stop
late night pick ups from daycare
you also watch
you also stare
you also wonder what ball was dropped
and landed in the midsection of a child
was she wild?
was he old?
were they told the steps to keep themselves safe or safer?
did they care?
do you dare to ask for her blessings on Sunday
and cut her with your eyes,
spit on her in the flesh on Monday
so that someday
she won’t be your child?
3 in 10
3 in 10 will go to bed as parents after waking up as friends
3 in 10 can’t believe how quickly a childhood can end
3 in 10 is the stark message that the statistics send
to each of us working towards parenthoods that are
planned
postponed
prepared to care for the next generation
so in need
of our guidance
today
*The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that 3 in 10 girls in the US get pregnant at least once by age 20.*
Filed under: love
on having fallen
(c) 2012 by margaux delotte-bennett
i have fallen for you
like one falls for a live elephant
the first time one lays eyes on its majestic beauty in the flesh
it is a love of possession
a hunger to hold
what must be free
a need to make the larger than life
small enough to fit
into the four chambers of the heart
a desire to keep the gentle
and world wised eyes
locked on this face
alone
and yet
the knowledge that keeps one from forsaking all rationality
from throwing caution to the wind
and consummating one’s
amorous intentions with the unsuspecting pachyderm
also keeps
me
from fully falling
for you
Filed under: self reflection
Sunday 1/8/12 was the inaugural meeting of Second Sunday Scribes, a creative writing gathering that a dear friend and I are convening. I have always found it very fruitful to have a dedicated time and space for writing and meeting with others who want or need the same thing is wonderful. though this piece was not written on Sunday, it contains many of the phrases generated through our opening free writing exercise. each participant had to pick 2 words out of a bag and just write whatever came to mind without stopping or editing. the words i picked: essential and complete.
what is essential
© 2012 by margaux delotte-bennett
the she that is sometimes me
wants to be without fluff
without unimportant and irrelevant
wants to fill her heart and space
only with those things that
must be
need to be
belonging to the essential understanding
of who she is and where she resides
essential denotes essence
contains a truth bold enough to claim space
steps wide
is firmly rooted in nutrient rich soil
essential for the next bloom
the she that is sometimes me
knows what is important
touch
talk
connection
focusing firmly on the joining of hands and hearts
or hands and hearts held open
there is a circle/ season/ cycle that is completed
by the laying on of hands
breath deeply shared
birthing elements of fire and ice
wind and rain churning
matter broken down into its essential elements
those popping bits of light are sometimes me
so too those throbbing seeds
ready to burst
Filed under: travel
i was looking through my india journals and found this piece i forgot that i had written. i have a few friends travelling around India right now so the subcontinent is on my mind…
dogs
© 2007 by margaux delotte-bennett
dogs
dogs in every shape
and size
and breed, minus the pedigree
some fluffy
some with patches of fur missing due to mange
some young
some too old to move
some healthy
some with diseased and distended teats
favoring a hurt paw
missing an eye or a piece of an ear
dogs are everywhere in India
bus stands
inside train stations
in village restaurants
on temple grounds
crossing busy streets
in tombs and monuments
even on the golf course
they are neither welcomed nor spurned
neither fed nor starved
neither noticed nor overlooked
they are just there
and everywhere
fighting, sleeping, eating,
shitting, fighting, sniffing,
exploring, sleeping, barking,
having puppies, fighting puppies, peeing, eating,
being a part of the landscape
while blending in
to the point
of almost going unseen
dogs
dogs
dogs
Filed under: mental health
so i finished a new poem this week, but i decided to post an older poem that i actually can’t remember writing…
though i am a social worker informed by my poetry, i don’t have many pieces that bring my worlds together. here is one that does just that.
he wants to know
(c) 2007 by margaux delotte-bennett
living room floor scattered with magazines
scissors
construction paper
sitting in a circle making collages about family
trying to help an 8 year old talk about all he is going through
all that he has to contend with to survive
“can i ask you a question” he asks
“sure” i respond
“what are some of the problems that your family has to go through?“
a quick intake of breath, by mom
a cupped mouth giggle, by sis
an almost inaudible sorry escapes his lips and downcast eyes
i know that he just wants me to make him feel normal
i know he just needs to know that his family is not broken beyond repair
i know that he wants to be sure that he’ll make it to my age and size.
i can’t promise him all that,
but i can start to show him that all families have challenges
and most challenges have multiple solutions
and most solutions are inside our minds
spirits
hearts
i’m supposed to be here
in this time and place
sitting on this living room floor
scattered with magazines
scissors
construction paper
tools to deconstruct and reconstruct
a new definition of family
that can help this young man
feel
whole
strong river woman
© 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
strong river woman steps heavy
as she pulls her weight
along with the burdens she always seems to have to bear
seems to have to bear alone
her two shoulders like diamonds
gleaming under the pressure always found there
on the surface upon which her burdens she bears
strong river woman with knotted shoulders
and firm back
can carry you when you fall
no one (including her) thinks they can carry her or her burdens
strong is as strong does
strong river woman’s flow
thrashes the rocks and the trees
she is on her knees under the weight of all she had to carry
but her strong is fast
and her strong is fleet
her strong flows powerfully down the river called her back
this bridge is broken
who will help strong river woman
build it back?
back strong
back river
back
strong
river
woman
Filed under: Uncategorized
I failed to realize that I had not written a poem this week until late last night/ early this morning. As the year comes to a close, I don’t want to abandon my practice…
In December
(c) 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
wind kissed days abound
as naked trees shiver through
heaven’s winter song
Filed under: Uncategorized
i just need to get this off my chest…
pink
(c) 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
to me
pink is a color
only enjoyed when it is
naturally occurring
the sky at dusk
fall leaves on japanese trees
flowers that blush while they bloom
pink is not the color of cancer
breast or otherwise
the disease is shit brown
black and blue
sickly shades of green
pink is not the only color
we should shroud our girls in
they are technicolor possibilities
that should not be limited to
Pepto-Bismol (R) hues
pink gives me the blues
it has never been me
Barbie (R) phase and all
growing up I could be seen in
shades of purple and red
colors with spunk and sass
pink was always a whiny, weak color
pink can kiss my @ss
brand new! just finished this one a few moments ago. enjoy!
what she has never done
© 2011 by margaux Delotte-bennett
she knows what she has never done
she has never lost herself in love
her grip on what is too tight
or light when it comes to
should and might
wanting to follow
often defaulted to lead
but only as far as the current need
she has never lost herself in love
arms reaching out in surrender
white flags waving overhead
off guard and unprotected
fully open to what can be envisioned by we
because me and I can only try to be complete
she knows what she has never done
she has never lost herself in love
running completely wild and free
without scars
without restraint
speeding towards her heart
housed outside of her body
yet overflowing with her love
given and received
love under which she can gleam
she has never lost herself in love
forgetting her choices
her fears
her need to control what, where and when
not the lost of the misplaced
overlooked
a something special no longer found
where it was supposed to be
but the lost of the traveler
discovering where this road will lead
envisioning the magic that can only be found behind
that door
so she continues to search
to uncover
to explore
because losing herself in love
is all she really longs to do
Filed under: Uncategorized
i found this poem on the back of another poem…
my liberated muse
© 2010 by margaux delotte-bennett
spiraling towards indefinable perfection
felt in the base of my womb
open to birthing all that is supposed to move through me
this day
this way
out of this shell
chipped from tripping
falling towards
a tomorrow unafraid to shine bright
strong
wholly connected
to the me
I’m supposed to be
without the fear true individuality
insights
can the fully realized me,
soft and pulsing with possibility,
make it out there
truly free?
yes, liberated one.
indeed.
