Poem in Your Pocket

Not to be mistaken with "Words in my Pocket" - a non-fiction, narrative column in one of Seymour's community newspapers - Poem in Your Pocket Day is today. The event, organized by the Academy of American Poets, simply requires participants to keep a poem, a verse or even a couple lines on their person so that they can quickly disseminate poems to friends and passer-bys. Here's a pocket-sized poem of mine that originally appeared in Midwest Literary Magazine's Bearing North.

“Field Day”

Field day, Port Orchard, and the slate

Sky pours itself out, closing lower field,

The big toy, and eventually even the tetherball pole.

Sequestered Under the covered area, where

On stormy days we lined up, each

Bus line ready to ship off gloomy, noisy

And unavoidably wet. There, only

Hula hoping and jumping rope were

Officially endorsed activities.

On that field day, the black top seeped

With rain water working through

Cracks or slapping off the shoe

Soles of the wet and adventurous

Rule breakers, rushing out when heads are

Turned for the thrill of it.

I stood there, wet hands, jeans,

Shock-headed and dripping:

A pioneer.