Write with TLC

Vulnerability is a bitch in the sense that a bitch is a Babe in Total Control of Herself. (For more on my thoughts about why being called a bitch isn't the insult intended, see Okay, So Sometimes I Really Am a B****, What of It? ) Vulnerability feels like being out of control, but is often a controlled exposure of the best of what's hidden in one's heart and soul. I've long fought exposing my vulnerabilities to others. I held secret the best of me mainly because I somehow confused secret with sacred. I thought by hiding my truth, I was cherishing it and holding it sacred. As I've released my need to conceal all my deep truth, I've realized when we lock our sacred selves in a chest to be discovered like a buried treasure, we cheat the world, those who love us, and even ourselves of the best we can be. I'm still often tempted to avoid letting others see that which makes me feel vulnerable. I see that struggle in the poems I'm compiling for my upcoming ...

In 2013, I challenged myself to write a poem every day. I didn't quite make it. I missed four or five days. I'm not exactly sure, and for once, I'm not going to go back and try to figure it out because that is beside the point. I ended up writing 458 poems for the year. Well, technically, I wrote a few more than that because I accidentally deleted a couple, and I threw away a few that just never quite got where I wanted them to go. I don't know how many of those there were though, so I'm not counting them toward my total. I also co-wrote two poems with a poet friend, Joshua Timothy Simms, and I didn't include them in that total either. It broke down like this January  42 February 33 March 35  plus one collaboration April 73 May 34 June 30 July 36  plus one collaboration August 37 September 34 October 33 November 39 ...