Looking Out, Looking in for dVerse Poets

26 Replies

 

 

Looking Out, Looking In

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Looking Out, Looking In

Folks look into my window every hour, every day
when they view my photographs or what I have to say.
It isn’t that I have a need to publicize or flout.
They are just a way to let a part of myself out.

When I’m outside the room of me, looking here and there,
it’s like I am a voyeur. I pry and prod and stare.
The window might steam over, obscuring what I see.
Then I wipe it clear again to see what I might be.

I really just write what I see as I’m peering in.
Each failure and each triumph, each kindness and each sin.
Each interior arrangement has some ugliness, some beauties.
I hold inside life’s pleasures, her sadness and her duties.

Each poem that I’ve written—be it whisper, be it shout––
is a way for me to let a part of myself out.
And if you choose to view them and see where I have been,
You’re standing at my window with permission to look in.

 

For dVerse Poets “Window-Gazing” prompt.

26 thoughts on “Looking Out, Looking in for dVerse Poets”

  4. Tzvi Fievel

    nice poem.
    I liked this phrase: “outside the room of me.”
    The second stanza seemed “existential” to me;
    of course, I’m biased because I’m into existential psychology.
    Overall, a great running metaphor, using the window of the soul
    to look inside oneself. These are my impressions of the poem.

    Like

    Reply ↓
    1. lifelessons Post author

      Thanks, Tzvi. It’s the biggest compliment when someone shares what a poem has meant to them…I’ve found that poetry as well as art always means more than what is obvious to its creator, since it is a communication from a deeper self. I have said more than once that I often don’t know what I think until after I have written it.

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      Reply ↓
  6. kim881

    A stunning autobiographical poem, Judy. It tells me a lot about you. I love the accompanying photograph, the phrase ‘outside the room of me’, which is a great way of describing looking at oneself, as well as the lines:
    ‘The window might steam over, obscuring what I see.
    Then I wipe it clear again to see what I might be.’
    And thank you for the permission to look in your window.

    Like

    Reply ↓
  8. merrildsmith

    A well-expressed poem, beautifully done. I really like the metaphor, and it’s so true. Many of us do this through our poetry and/or blogs. Thank you for your thoughtful take on the prompt!

    Like

    Reply ↓
  10. Mish

    What a wonderful direction to take with the prompt. I especially like the image of wiping the window clear for a better look inside. A peek into your poetic process was so interesting.

    Like

    Reply ↓
      1. Martha Kennedy

        My house has a small yard and my neighbors are close. It’s fine. I hate yard work. I moved here from “the country” in CA and was pretty tired of propane, septic, and rattlesnakes in my yard. 🤣

        Like

        Reply ↓
  14. ben Alexander

    Each poem that I’ve written—be it whisper, be it shout––
    is a way for me to let a part of myself out.
    And if you choose to view them and see where I have been,
    You’re standing at my window with permission to look in.

    Yes, yes, yes, YES!

    Excellent, Judy.

    Sincerely,
    David

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

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