April is National Poetry Month. I’m going to attempt to write one poem every day this month. Today’s poem: 17/30 for April 17th.

Prompt: Meme poetry = Found poetry. I created this prompt, sparked by an idea from the poetry workshop I attended this past Sunday. I’ve grabbed sections of the memes I’ve saved, smooshing them into a poem along with some of my own words. I have so many, there will be two poems with this method. This was fun!

Love Me Well or Leave Me Alone

I be in my own lil world
You need a wrist band to get in here

You don’t have to be crazy to be my friend
I’ll train you

I speak in movie quotes
Song lyrics
And sarcasm

I gave myself permission last week
to never make sense again

I laugh at inappropriate times
I cry when I feel like crying
I usually say whatever comes to mind

I’ve dug deep
Asking myself why I am the way I am
Why I do the things I do
It has been, still is,
A ton of work
But it’s helping me thrive

Being neurospciy
Is a wild-ass ride
I’ve decided to embrace it
Have fun with it
And enjoy the ride

I have a limited amount of time
Left on this planet,
I’m not gonna spend it being
A watered down version of myself
Just so people can like me

For those who have contempt
I turn the volume up even louder

I recover out loud
To give voice to all who
Still suffer in silence

I can be in the house an entire weekend
Without wanting to go out
But I love going out to socialize

I can be a social person
But don’t always like to deal with people in groups

Noise easily distracts me,
But I am one loud woman

Why do I attract people with
The emotional intelligence and maturity
Of a coffee table?
Or those who seem to think
Manipulation and lying are some sort of art forms
To be mastered?

“We knew each other in a past life”
Isn’t cute to me anymore
I’m remembering why I stopped
Fucking around with you in 1911

I play with the fire of my own truth
I will burn for the things I love

Those tattoos will be on you forever
I hope so cause this shit hurt
And it’s expensive

Nothing refreshes my memory
Of what I need at the grocery store
Like coming home from the grocery store

My personality mix —
A needy 5-year-old who can’t control their emotions
A teenage rebel making poor life decisions
And an 90-year-old who’s tired and needs to sit and do nothing

I’m at the stage where I stay out of arguments
Even if you say 4+4 = 10,
You’re right
Have fun with that

Sorry I didn’t text you back for a month
Darkness overtook me
I strayed out of thought and time
Stars wheeled overhead
We had an eclipse
Every day was as long as the life age of earth
But I’m good
How are you?

Might fuck around,
Do silly, frivolous things
That make me happy
And become the version of myself
I’ve dreamed about

I am teaching myself to be as a child
Looking another in the eye
Declaring, “this game is no longer fun”
And so I stop playing it
Without guilt
And walk away

I will not be explaining myself

Due to not wanting to,
I will not be.

Camilla Downs, 2024