As a writer I am messy
As messy as can be
Notebooks and papers strewn all around
And the one I want can never be found
Ink on my fingers, fingerprints on the screen
Crumbs from the snack I had at 7:15
Squiggles and doodles and scribbles galore
Wrappers from candy eaten two days before
So cluttered the computer almost cannot be seen –
As a writer, I am messy
There are those who disagree
And say “That is not how it should be!
Writers should be organized and orderly.
Writers should be clean!”
And maybe yes and maybe no
Or sometimes not and sometimes so
But it works for me, so there you go
As a writer I am messy
As a writer I am distracted
As distracted as can be
By books that I’ve read ten times before
But still have the urge to read ten times more
By online games and TV shows
And silly online videos
By the sound of a song not heard in awhile
Or of a friend’s laughter, making me smile
Even by the clear sky to which I’m attracted –
As a writer, I am distracted
There are those who will take notice
And raise their voices in protest,
“Writers should be determined and dedicated.
Writers should be focused!”
And maybe yes and maybe no
Or sometimes not and sometimes so
But it’s okay, it’s my status quo
As a writer I am distracted
As a writer I am late,
As late as can be
Even when a paper’s not due for a week or more
I can’t seem to get started till a few nights before
Late in the hour that I find motivation
To even begin to get inspiration
Despite whatever I may try
I never end up being wise
And leave unfinished works lying in wait –
As a writer, I am late
There are those who act all surly
And scold me quite severely,
“Writers should be prompt and punctual
Writers should write early!”
And maybe yes and maybe no
Or sometimes not and sometimes so
But I’m fine with it, just so you know
As a writer I am late
As a writer I am flawed
As flawed as can be
Even discounting the habits I mentioned
There are still more that should get some attention
I’m inconsistent, and struggle with tone
My spelling’s enough to make readers groan
Sometimes I ramble, and can get redundant
Did I mention my speling errors can be abundant?
I write out of order, and sometimes feel like a fraud –
As a writer, I am flawed
There are those who will reject
Screaming, “Nothing you’ve said has been correct!
Writers should be faultless and flawless
Writers should be perfect!”
And maybe yes and maybe no
Or sometimes not and sometimes so
But that’s who I am, and I’m proud to show
As a writer I am flawed
I love poetry that rhymes! If you bring this kind of attitude to your classroom, your kids will love you. This is really creative, and well executed. I think I would have literally clapped if this had been read aloud.
This piece demonstrates the established contentment that you feel as a writer. You have realized your imperfections, and rather than hiding them, you have embraced each one. I love how you smashed the false thinking, that writers have to have their act together at all times, in terms of composing papers in some neat and orderly fashion. You brought about a reality check, and uncovered a new perspective into the real life of a writer.
I admire your ability to write poetry with rhymes. It’s a fun and creative way to send a message. I liked how you wrote about how imperfect you are as a writer, because honestly most writers are. Messy, scattered, flawed, distracted. People have false assumptions that writers are perfect and orderly when in reality they are not. I know for sure that I am not a perfect writer, so this made me smile. Thanks for sharing!
I love it! (And not just because I am also an avid user of sticky notes). And wow! The rhyming is incredible. I have no skill for it so I can’t imagine how the process of writing this must have gone. Regardless, I can deeply relate to this. While I enjoy being organized and orderly, sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way, and sometimes that’s for the better when it comes to my own writing. I really adore this, I truly do. It’s personal, but relatable, but also cute and creative.
I loved the rhythm of this poem. As I read it, I was reminded of the literacy writing class I took with Cornelia about how people have all these standards and rules for writing, but really, writing is any kind of writing–including this comment here. So I really resonated with the idea that you’re flawed, messy, distracted, and imperfect. It’s who we are as humans.
Wow, beautifully done, Laura. I love the way you managed to capture the insecurities that surround writers. We often put all these expectations on ourselves about a right or wrong way to write or get something done. And yet, it’s when we free ourselves from those expectations that we create truly amazing things. When we embrace the fact that our process might look differently from others, that’s when we allow ideas to flourish and grow. It’s fantastic knowing that the students you work with can also feel relief and be guided by you in embracing their own individual process.
The way that you transitioned from the stanzas where others were telling you what to do back to your own attitude by basically saying “yeah, well it works for me so I don’t care what you think” was awesome! I think that many people have this notion that writing is difficult because they have to do it a certain way when that couldn’t be any further from the truth, and your piece showed that excellently.