Happy Poetry Friday! Today’s poem is a throw-back poem from my series using famous poems as models for my own original poems. The model poem I used was Won’t You Celebrate With Me by Lucile Clifton. Clifton’s poem really inspired me and I remember I wrote my first draft in a fast white heat and was surprised the next day when I chose to not edit much at all. Sometimes the muse is in alignment with me as I type.
I now consider this poem one of my personal anthems.
Celebrate With Me
won’t you celebrate with me
what I have become
a woman strong and brave
enough to speak her mind,
usually,
a wife, a lover
daughter, mother
a friend to few
I hold dear
a non-friend
to some
for reasons I don’t understand
born into confusion
about how to become
myself
how to trust I had
arrived
in all my glory
before barreling past
my destination
forgetting
not knowing
I was enough
I am enough
I AM ENOUGH
come celebrate
with me that
I have climbed
my mountains
cheered the sunrise
knowing, knowing
yes
I am stronger
at all the broken places.
—Susan Taylor Brown
Listen to me read this poem.
Last week’s Poetry Friday contribution was an original poem called Poetry Waits for Me.
Amy has the complete Poetry Friday round-up over at the Poem Farm.
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Yes! I celebrate you and am so darn glad you are back. I missed you and your voice, and this is a poem I’ll be coming back to. Thank you. Happy Poetry Friday, Susan! I cheer the sunrise with you.
Ah, thanks, Amy! I am happy to be back and have been enjoying following your blossoming progress on your poetic journeys.
Wonderful choice of model poem, Susan. I like the finale of your poem — the sun continues to rise and shine, even on our broken pieces.
Thank you, Laura. I am trying to rise and shine. Each day, another journey, another effort.
Susan, your voice speaks loud and clear in this original poem. I too cheer the sunrise with you because there is strength in our journey beyond broken places.
Carol, thanks so much for the visit and the support. I simply love this line from you: “there is strength in our journey beyond broken places.” Yes! That is another whole poem, is it not?
Celebrating self is what life is about, indeed. It’s beautiful Susan, love this: “I have climbed/my mountains”. The acknowledgement itself is strong.
Thanks for the kind words and taking the time to stop by, Linda. You are always so very thoughtful in your comments and I appreciate it. We have all climbed many mountains, haven’t we?
Here’s to joining the celebration!
Thanks Doraine! I would do a celebratory yoga pose for you but I still need to find a simple yoga for old and inflexible people with messed up body parts class. 🙂
Hear, hear. Powerful poem, Susan! Thanks for the inspiration (love hearing your voice too).
So happy you’re blogging again. 🙂
Thanks, Jama. I am trying to find my way back to my circle of peeps and supporters but it’s hard sometimes. I have no idea how you and so many other folks manage to blog daily, comment on other blogs, and respond to your own blog comments, and still have time to do anything else! 🙂
Oh that is beautiful, Susan!
Thank you, Catherine!
Love this poem, Susan, and hearing you read it is special, too. The repetition of “I AM ENOUGH” is powerful. Modeling after strong poems is a technique i like to use.
Thanks, Joyce, for stopping by. I love using model poems a lot. Please let me know if you have any favorites you like to use.
Yes! I’m celebrating with you! “I am enough” is the perfect personal anthem for us all. = )
Thank you, Bridget. It has taken me a long time to accept that “I am enough” but I think I’ve got the hang of it now.
Lovely, lovely, lovely!
Thank you, Bobbi! I appreciate the visit.
Excellent poem! I love it!!
Count me in on the celebration, Susan! I love the idea of having a personal anthem and this one positively sings.
“Barreling past my destination” — so true. Your poem reminds me that we can become too much about eyes-on-the-prize. It’s important to celebrate what we are, do, and have right now.