Maybe you were spared from my enthusiastic announcements on Facebook, or maybe you don't follow me there (which you really should, because I think I'm a riot), but Indiana Humanities has selected its "Field of 33" poets for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500...
AND I'M ONE OF THEM!
No, I'm not the big winner (or even 2nd place), but I was selected as an honorable mention. As such, my poem may wind up in a collection with the other winners sometime down the line. In the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, "YAAAAAY!"
Not only do I get the bragging rights and the potential for publishing, I also got to perform my poem at the Indiana Humanities office! I fully expected to poop myself in front of everyone or something equally horrifying, but you'll be relieved to know that my bowels obeyed me and I got through my poem without incident. Thanks to everyone who came to support me! I got misty-eyed.
I meant to post this before the event so I could pressure people into coming... but my wonderful peeps took up almost a quarter of the large living room the event took place in, so y'all must have heard me yowl about it enough on Facebook. I just feel so behind these days! There's a lot going on. Who knows? Maybe I'll have time to write about some of it someday (*sarcastic sigh*).
Oh, I nearly forgot! Here's my poem on it's own (I'd remove the spaces if I could) (#SquarespaceProblems) :
Your Start
start
your
engines
it’s hypnotic, the infrasonic
bellow of your fellow
racers
you’re thunder in spring
you bring
a rain of applause
the awe in their
faces
and you were here
for years
when the wind would bite
and you thought it might
storm
or when it was warm
and you could taste the win
the car was your skin
no gender, no face
no labels of love or faith
the only race, this race
your only home, the bricks
the timer ticks
in this town
where you got the fire in your heart
and among the
engines
your
start