Saturday, April 28, 2012

Kimberly Marcus - Revision

Revision
by
Kimberly Marcus

Life is full of twists and turns
and, with each bend, a person learns
that fire warms and fire burns -
a matter of degree.

Life is good and life’s not fair
and in this whole wide world out there
some will love and some won’t care -
a harsh reality.

But in this life you get to choose
how you cope with things you lose,
a mortal wound or healing bruise -
it’s all in how you see.

© Kimberly Marcus. All rights reserved.

As a writer, I was instantly attracted to the poem Kimberly Marcus sent my way. Revision? But of course! As a reader, what I loved was how the poem moved me along, played with my expectations, and delivered something so spot on that I never cared about my initial expectations again. And if you know how stubborn I can be, that's saying something! I love the perspective and the power the poem gives off, particularly because I didn't see it coming.

Of course, this shouldn't, uh, confound expectations for anyone who's read Exposed, her debut novel. There's a reason her verse story ended up on so many end of year lists and got so many awards - the writing is taut, emotional, and always rings true to the characters she creates. I also happen to love the fact that she can turn on a dime and write funny, rhyming picture books, too. Fabulous words, no matter how you slice them... just one of the reasons I'm so excited to have Kimberly Marcus here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had Catku courtesy of Lee Wardlaw. Tomorrow... To Poetry/A La Poesía from Alma Flor Ada! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.


8 comments:

Tabatha said...

Really enjoyed this, Greg (and Kimberly)! I shared it with my kids.

Robyn Hood Black said...

"Revision" is "all in how you see." Terrific poem and post - good advice for writing and for life. Thanks to both of you for sharing!

Liz Brownlee said...

Wonderful - I enjoyed every word of this poem.

Mary Ann Scheuer said...

Oh, this poem hits home in so many ways. Lovely layers, meanings, heart. Thank you both, Kimberly and Greg, for all you do.

Charles Waters said...

Exactly. That's the one word I kept saying after reading aloud the poem. Marcus comes up with a darn good affirmation.

Amy LV said...

This is so wise and so well written. A real gem. Thank you. I'm sharing it on my page now! a.

Linda B said...

Thank you Greg & Kimberly. I love that you have this extra kick at the end of each stanza. Beautiful.

tanita✿davis said...

Whoa. This one goes in my "copy this out for friends until I have it memorized" book.