I dumped everything that was in my August brain/heart into this poem. It’s not one I’d necessarily include in a book; it’s sort of messy & octopus-like; it’s a bit like a spiderweb that picked up a little dust from everything that’s around it. But I think there are a few fun couplets in there that I’ll enjoy returning to in future summers, from the vantage point of future selves. I hope it goes beyond my own self-references and inner revelations to offer something to you. Let me know!
Some information to know before you read: I have been listening to a lot of Chance the Rapper this summer. Mostly Coloring Book on repeat, also occasionally The Big Day, though one Sunday I put on Acid Rap and then this poem pooled out.
Listen here, it’ll help you hear the rhythm & the exclamations:
Sneeze & You Might Miss It I’m better than I was last time But is it too late this time We only get one ride one rodeo one set of eyes to drive with Mirrored sunglasses: pretty big flex in a pretty small town Some people say I got that something That something wrong with me My calling is calling myself names I beat everyone to the punch I call myself out I made my own last name Sun in my eyes, new name on my lips Honey in mind, down for a dip River runs high, clover knee-high I miss smelling like everyone around me I miss yelling with people around me I miss everyone who used to be around me Friend or foe, how do I know If you're not grandfathered in Grandma will show you the door Everybody’s somebody’s everything Hey I wanna be everybody’s everything! But who has that that many spoons Love coming in, harvest season Loves wearing thin, harvest season Fields full of praise songs There’s no way to heal wrong Cut the stalks a foot from the ground What’s yellow you just kiss goodbye Thank it then you watch it fly Summer isn’t my favorite song But it’s a hit on the radio Remember summer used to last forever Tan lines across your back & shoulders Your bellybutton saw the sun and curtsied You remembered you came from your mother Shoot I don't wanna get old in front of everyone Instead: watch me walking downtown with ankle bells & new bangs on I’m proof you can talk shit for years and still get the cut you want I hope I love all my choices I hope I make everything of love I’m not woke I sleep deeply & dream of kissing everyone They don't kiss me back but they’re pulling their weight for me in other ways I know we all love both well & badly So let’s change the sheets & sing every sweet thing we can think of This is the summer of nightmares and daydreams Or are these the days of miracle and wonder No these are the days of cannabis seltzers and jars of pickles on the stairs Listen! If we know who we are we don't have to tell anybody anything! So let’s dig in a little deeper hook our eyes a little longer to each other Let’s chat hard and hoist each other high until the world burns through this version to the next one We’ll dance-walk through shitstorms & floods with given or brand-new names I’m grateful to name this bliss or its opposite If I had a dollar for every time someone thought my name was Rachel I repeat I am eternally grateful to not feel hateful All my hustles ride shotgun See me driving so raw-honey slow even your granny passed me singing Cotton-Eyed Joe But when your girl almost dies on a local curve You press the brakes & hold on at exactly ten & two I wish everyone were my neighbor Everyone’s my cousin if I want them I want to be as epic as an old Kanye album I want to live at the exact speed of a bird in flight I want to be so in touch with everyone we are practically touching practically all the time But you can’t always see the cracks in the sidewalk You can’t know what will trip you up Sure it takes a village to raise a kid But it only takes a single person to turn your heart to lead But I don't have to lecture you I treasure you! I swear to you I’m here for you I'm here for me I’m clear to me, if not clear to you There’s nothing like this time around to turn this whole darn ship around Sometimes you just have to bless yourself instead of waiting for the sneeze
Grateful to ye who read that whole long poem! Grateful to my friends and family who are still here with me, and my friends and family who are not! Grateful for my field crew who listened to me recite this poem in the field off my phone!
With love,
Taylor MK Honeymeadow
PS: Support your local freewheeling tired hungry farming poet who is still hoping against hope that someone will publish her manuscript and so she slings out $30 to a press every once in a while in the quietude of her own home corner.
Some people say I got that something
That something wrong with me
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Something about how these simple words flow
What a powerhouse, like a damn tidal wave 🌊