Cut To The Bone

Cut To The

Bone

Ms. Reynoso

When the poet can’t find another word to cut, a poem is done. Weigh every line and every word: Does it do anything for your poem? Does a smart reader need it? And, is this poem elegant shorthand yet?

A really bad paragraph

Every night at camp when we were totally tired out from playing the game, we would all sort of fall down in a big pile on the floor of our cabin. We would just laugh--- it was really so much fun. Then, after we would cam down a little bit, we would suddenly be very, very hungry. Our counselor would be quite mad that our cabin was always awake after lights out, but hopefully we could get her to just chill out and let us eat chips and stuff we really weren't supposed to have at camp.

At night, after we were exhausted from playing the game, we collapsed in a heap on the floor of the cabin. We lay there in a tangle of arms and legs and shook with giggles. When the laughter died out, hunger took over. We were starving. We drove our counselor crazy that summer because when the other cabins were quiet and dark, ours was alive with the sounds of eight girls shrieking, roughhousing, and rattling bags for forbidden junk food.

Music--- it has the power

against myself to control my emotions

and that creates a need

for me to own it

and control myself.

Each new genre of music

releases an explosion inside myself

of adrenaline which I am eager

to run off and use.

Every music store is

and Amazon of new bands

fighting to release their

own personal effect on everybody.

but I am also fighting

to try the new bands first

and accept and enjoy the effect

that music throws at me

Poem Music- Jacob miller

Music: the only power

I have over myself

to change my emotions

whenever and however I please:

from frustrating anger

to soothing calm

to enthusiastic happiness---

each new genre of music

added to my collection

equals another emotion

for me to explore.