My Journey Continues

My Journey Continues
By Candace Shultz

Imagine
that you
are eating your
favorite cookies and there's
only one left. Now imagine
that you've been running a marathon
and you've just crossed the finish line.
The dismay. The exhilaration! That's me right now.

Some days my feet dragged me down the hallway
into my bedroom and to my desk where I dilly-dallied
on the internet until an hour before bed. Then I'd stare
at the blank screen and the blinking cursor with a blank face
and blank mind until I made myself actually write something, anything. I'd listen
to the hum of my computer as I scrambled for a mix of words
that would fit a picture of my life into a frame. Not perfect. Just me.

Other days I'd hurry to my desk, words and phrases just fighting to be released,
to be heard. Whether pen and paper or keyboard and computer, my creativity craved
an outlet. Ideas and words overflowed my mind. My muse was throwing a
party and everyone was invited. I just had to weed out the
people I didn't like. I need more days like that: days
of inspiration, days of creativity, and days where I've rediscovered
my passion for the written word. My written words.

National Poetry Month has come to an end.
I ate the last cookie. I finished
the race. The best part? I
now have thirty new poems.
Whether good or bad,
it doesn't matter.
My journey
continues.