2015 Poem A Day, Day Twenty:

Prompt for Day Twenty:

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “My (blank), the (blank),” replace the blanks with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “My Dentist, the Torture Expert,” “My Lunch, the Thing I Got Out of the Vending Machine,” “My Father, the Comedian,” or “My Life, the Punchline.”

I am playing catch-up, so this one of the two poems I wrote on Day Twenty One. It wasn't finished on the day, so I'm posting it for Day Twenty, because I couldn't feel that prompt.

This was inspired by a conversation with a friend with whom I'd stayed up way too late.

I Am Not

I am not your princess

I am not your muse

I was not put upon the earth

to aid and comfort you

I am a human being

I have got my plans

They have nothing to do

with your boring, idle hands

I don't care if you are listening

I'm not worried if you care

I'm a woman, goddammit,

Walk beside me if you dare.

Setback and bounce back

A little bummed tonight. I learned this morning that my claim for unemployment was rejected because I was not fired from my last job. Curse my impeccable work record!

That part is a joke, of course. I value a solid work ethic, but I had the possibility of getting a set amount of money each week for nine months, which meant that we could live our writer's life for the better part of a year. I could work four to six hours a day uninterrupted on writing, editing, and submitting, which is what it takes to really do the writing thing right.

Bonus, though: the editor at Ease Magazine accepted my latest travel article on Disney theme parks. That will be out at the beginning of May, and it's a legitimate paid writing gig that I truly enjoy.

In the meantime, I need to step up my efforts to find work.