time to pass GO

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks so forgive me, I haven't had much time to update my blog with movies, fashion and literature. I'm trying my hardest to get my thoughts out there before I drift off into never never land so today I figured I'd blog a little about me. What about me is so important you ask? Well, I'm a writer and I sincerely admire that fact about me. It's a hard art to cultivate but as I look back on my old high school journals to my current entries, I'm impressed with the tremendous growth I've accomplished. Life really is all about moving forward so perhaps in 5 years I'll look at this entry and feel even more motivated to finally finish my 3rd (unfinished) novel. I wrote this poem recently and since I've been forced to stretch and bend outside of my normal passive routine, I thought why not. So here it is, Poem 8:15/9:37:

8:15/9:37

DO NOT PASS GO

I keep hearing it

Like a beautiful metaphor

Reminiscent of my childhood demons

Quiet and acquiescent

Yet always

Refusing my right

To grow

My reluctance

Not to pass

Has suffocated

My inner Ángel

At the most inopportune times

Leaving her twisted and torn

Bruised

And forlorn

This unwillingness

To move on

Has transformed

Morphed

And become

My marathon

Mi carrera

Mi lucha

My triathlon

I want to

I need to

I have to

Passing GO

Is all that I know

How

To

Do

DO NOT PASS GO…

It is whispered amongst the shadows

Proudly proclaiming my name

Haunting my dreams

And wrapping its legs around

My fantasies

But like all childhood demons

It’s time I said good-bye

Because

The woman

That stares back at me now

Is finally ready

To

Kiss

The sky…

Genez

Okay, so let's break this down. My first thought when writing this piece was of my childhood memories playing Monopoly. It's everybody's goal to pass GO, collect $200 and perhaps acquire a nice piece of real estate on Boardwalk or Park Place. Throw up some hotels, charge heavily for staying there, live happily ever after and win the game. As children, it's never impossible to become who you want to be but along the way all kinds of detours pop up. Once you venture into the real world, you're told to STOP. Stop dreaming, stop imagining, stop believing and most importantly, stop being YOU. Like Monopoly, you're penalized for wanting anything more than the crappy little places adjacent to Baltic Avenue. But, the little girl inside of me, Genez, wants to break out of those confined boundaries and accomplish something that no one has ever done before. She wants to be a legend but she often becomes paralyzed because of the messages she's collected along the way. Part of me is screaming for freedom, the other part often finds comfort in complacency. Throughout the years this imbalance has been tried and tested by situations where my growth is not only necessary, it is mandatory. This poem is all about fighting against the constraints because, after all, Park Place is obtainable. As the poem ends, it is a stark reminder that anything is possible. After all, "the woman that stares back at me is finally ready to kiss the sky". Enjoy!