{"id":50807,"date":"2026-04-11T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=50807"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:14:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:14:35","slug":"i-cannot-write-a-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/i-cannot-write-a-poem\/","title":{"rendered":"I Cannot Write A Poem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dotting my Teas By: Marlene Oxender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months after I began sorting through my parents\u2019 estate, I found an old black-and-white photograph I\u2019d never seen before. It was a picture of my dad, my older brother Don, and myself playing on the living room floor. My dad was lying on the floor with his feet propped up on a chair, and I was the baby daughter he was holding close. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found the photo while sitting on my own living room floor, sorting through cardboard boxes I\u2019d brought home from my parents\u2019 house. It was a moment in time I will never forget \u2013 the moment I found a photo of my dad spending time with two of his children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things I noticed about the image was the fact that the photographer had snapped the camera at the perfect moment \u2013 the moment when a little girl\u2019s baby toes were in her big brother\u2019s face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the weeks and months that followed, I began living in a sea of synchronistic moments which led me to write my \u201cBaby Toes\u201d story as well as \u201cA Baby Toes Prayer.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, I didn\u2019t know my baby toes prayer was a poem. I needed a reminder from members of my writers\u2019 group: Poems don\u2019t have to rhyme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most of us, I don\u2019t know much about poetry. I never knew that song lyrics are poetry. When you listen to music with lyrics, you\u2019re listening to a poem. And the words inside greeting cards are poems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poetry can be used to write a story or to teach a lesson. It\u2019s often found in children\u2019s books. And a poem is a good place to leave a hidden message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My friend Jim, a fellow columnist, mentioned to me he wished he could write poems. His words prompted me to write a few thoughts about not being able to write poetry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Cannot Write a Poem<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, I cannot write a poem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve tried and tried to write it right<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but words \u2013 they won\u2019t cooperate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I\u2019ve told them what to say,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

they keep refusing to obey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t ask them if they\u2019ll stand in line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t ask them if they\u2019ll rhyme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, what\u2019s a poet to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shall I write about an animal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d tell a tale about its tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe pick a flower \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

what would you like to know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t ask about the fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must smell it for yourself<\/p>\n\n\n\n

for a poet has no words to tell<\/p>\n\n\n\n

what a smell smells like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the blossoms \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

please give me your thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and anything you\u2019ve got<\/p>\n\n\n\n

for words \u2013 they escape me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If only they knew the clever <\/p>\n\n\n\n

things they could do \u2013 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

they\u2019d make an appearance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

at the end of our pencils and pens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019d line up just right <\/p>\n\n\n\n

and help a poor writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

who cannot write a poem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marlene Oxender is a writer, speaker, and author. She writes about growing up in the small town of Edgerton, her ten siblings, the memorabilia in her parents\u2019 estate, and her late younger brother, Stevie Kimpel, who was born with Down syndrome. Her three published books, Picket Fences, Stevie and Grandma, You Already Am Old, are available on Amazon. Marlene can be reached at mpoxender@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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