A Poetry Reading

I write poetry.

I love spending

My time doing this.

To me, it's like

a chess game,

trying to be many

moves ahead of myself

in my mind,

Only with words

Instead of chess pieces.

Which word

will fit perfectly

after the first,

and the second,

all the way to the end?

Sometimes my first thought

Is how the creation will end up.

Loose ends, all tied together

Like elegant knots.

And with prose poetry,

Stories told

One step at a time,

From start to finish.

I write every day

For myself.

But I crave

Connection as well:

To be understood

To get my thoughts

Out into the Universe

Through my work.

To be read,

To share---

Not only heartache,

But laughter,

Joy,

And other everyday things

That interest me.

I want to connect,

To unite.

I recently discovered

A few apps, places

Where I can share my work

With other people

All over the planet,

Including the Prose. app.

When my poetry

Is liked, it makes me ecstatic.

But I also love to see

Someone in front of me, a person

Who has just read my poetry, someone

Who shares his reaction

Of my work with me.

I just gave a poetry reading

At my local library.

I read two of my poems,

Prose poems.

I was nervous but excited.

Afterwards a woman came up

To me to say that she really

Liked my reading, my style of writing.

I smiled.

I had made a connection.

We keep in touch

By email and she has shared

Some of her work with me as well.

It makes me happy.

I am thrilled that there are

Outlets for my poetry:

Publishing, writing apps,

Poetry readings, and mostly

Receptive people.

That's why I love

To write poetry.