This morning, I sat down to read and, a mere five sentences into reading, the first stanza of "Daring to be Me" swooped in and snagged my attention. I followed the creative call and the poem below is the result of my efforts:
Daring to be Me
by Lauren Taub Cohen
I love watching
piping plovers flirt
with frisky waves.
First, the skittish birds
scuttle toward
the receding wave,
then they skedaddle away
from the advancing wave
tumbling toward
their tiny legs.
I used to be like that –
Indecisive.
Should I?
Shouldn’t I?
What if…?
I used to fear
I would die
before I dared
to give myself,
wholeheartedly,
to what it is
I’ve always known
I must do – write!
If death descends
upon me
unexpectedly,
as I’ve heard
it’s been known to do,
I can now go
peacefully
knowing I will depart
without the baggage of
regrets.
