Poetry (nonmonetized)

Enten/Eller

Daily Special 24: either/or

The author standing at the “Meeting of the Waters,” where the Limmat and Sihl rivers merge into one. Platzspitz, Zürich, Switzerland, May 2019.

Kierkegaard got it wrong:
We are not Either/Or.
Humans being or humans doing —
aesthetic or ethical —
who else is more than one thing?

I breathe colours onto blank pages.

I lift a baby bird into its nest.

I sit at a computer logging words.

I press my fingertips into my eyelids to create nebulas.

I analyze a poem. I write a poem.

My mother is calling, we talk for two hours.

I sit on the patio and watch the sun set.

Rhys is making dinner. I lick the spatula.

We go for a walk and see a dead hedgehog.

I cry for three nights and then write another poem.

I sleep deeply and do not dream.

I am many things and nothing new,
a woman of words and more or less
and here or there, sometimes,
this, that or the other,
changeable from one minute to the next:

touch me; fuck off; I love you; you make me so mad;
please don’t ever leave; I can’t breathe;
I am strong; I’m going to faint; yes or maybe no;
where did I put the passports; let’s go on a walk;
I’ve never eaten a strawberry; I’m tired;
I have so much energy; I need to do laundry;
when was the last time I went swimming?

I spit fire onto blank pages.

I am startled by a barking dog.

I sit at a computer staring at nothing.

I forget to eat lunch.

I wait for the phone to ring.

I read a poem and do not understand it.

I stare directly into the sun.

I drink oat milk to soothe the heartburn.

He is staying late at the office.

I microwave cheese on a tortilla.

I press my fingers into his eyelids,
more gently than I’ve ever touched anything.

I lie awake, feeling the blanket touching my legs.

Who is Kierkegaard to tell me who I am,
or Aristotle or Hegel or Fichte or Kant?
My existence is not a binary, nor opposite,
nor the same from minute to hour, nor one,
nor many, what if ever I did, or didn’t do,
what are ethics without aesthetics, or
a person without a philosophy of life,
and how many nights awake or days asleep
does it take to become someone else?

Thank you Ravyne Hawke for today’s poetry prompt: “Write an “either/or” poem. Either this or that. You decide what the “this” and “that” are, make the phrase the title of your poem, and then write the poem. Combinations could include “Either today or tomorrow,” “Either yes or no,” “Either fishing or bowling,” “Either cake or death” (Thanks, Eddie Izzard!), or something entirely different.”

The Daily Special — Nov 24th

Support the author:

For more like this, follow me on Medium or check out my personal nonfiction, nonfiction journalism and longform fiction. I do not monetize poetry or flash fiction. My novels are temporarily out of print; find out why in my article, “The Dreamspinner Press Controversy.” You can also find me on Twitter or like my public Facebook page.

If you’re enjoying my content, consider showing your support by buying me a coffee. If you sign up using my referral link to get unlimited access to all of Medium, I receive a small commission.