Issue 3.1 Spring 2009

 

Cover Image

This is the first poem I have ever had published and when I wrote it, I didn’t know it was going to be this special to me. It can have so many different meanings depending on who reads it and how they feel about it. It is a nontraditional piece of poetry with no real conclusion. It is what you make it and I am glad you can experience some of my feelings and make them into your own with it.

The Ways

Susan Beuth

 

At the house. On the couch. On the lawn. In the yard. At school. At home. In the car. Softly. In Chicago. In secret. Long. On the floor. In the kitchen. With the TV on. Baking cookies. In front of our parents. In Stevenson. At a party. While dancing. In the dark. On a chair. In the light. In the doorway. At a hotel. In the garage. While reading. In the backseat. In the park. With clothes on. After showering. In front of friends. While angry. While happy. On a table. In the basement. In the bedroom. In Fell. On the stairs. On the carpet. In the loft. In the dorm. While excited. Around the corner. On the other bed. In the parking lot. On the porch. In front of the door. In the elevator. Shy. In Rockford. On a bench. In Seward. On the train. At the football game. After eating. In the hallway. Before leaving. While smiling. In public. In the mall. In a classroom. While listening to music. While pissed. While drinking. While walking. While thinking. In Wal-Mart. In the living room. While watching fireworks. While looking at a rainbow. In the dining room. While fighting. When the meter was running low. In the tractor. With satisfaction. In Hewett. On the Quad. In the library. At your house. Under a tree. At night. In the bathroom. At the apartment. In the movie theatre. In Assembly Hall. While connected. While touching. At a restaurant. During a massage. During the day. In the Country. Roughly. In Wisconsin. With patience. While sober. While sad. While crying. In front of the cat. While Watching FRIENDS. Resentfully. When siblings were around. After drinking. At a frat house. Outside. Inside. While naked. After receiving flowers. During the movie. At the store. At the duplex. On the ear. On the chest. On the hand. As a friend. As a girlfriend. In the rain. In the snow. After class. On the sidewalk. In Whitten. In the combine. While Upset. Near the fountain. While wearing jeans. While sweating. At O’Hare. During the game. In Peoria. In Minier. Under the blankets. On the other couch. While sleeping. Before leaving. After arriving. While anxious. While tense. At the gas station. In Town. While stressed. In Redbird Arena. With pants off. After an apology. In Leaf River. On the snowmobile. While watching The West Wing. With hair up. With hair down. While bored. While wearing a hat. In the city. On birthdays. At 2 am. While single. While taken. In private. With the lights on. In Bloomington. In someone else’s room. In the bowling alley. While playing miniature golf. While sleepy. In a parking spot. Alone. In the closet. With meaning. While feeling weak. Under my loft. Near the COB. On the Farm. While mad. On a desk. Under the table. In the bleachers. In Hancock Stadium. With regret. On a school night. After the Luau. In DeGarmo. While watching The Office. After fighting. With confusion. While standing up. While sitting down. On the weekend. While talking. While laughing. While playing a game. In the heat of the moment. With shoes on. With shirts off. Shivering. In the evening. With hope. Protectively. While stripping. In Normal. With disgust. With confusion. Crazed. Innocently. While opening presents. In Sears. At Soldier Field. In the dark. At InPlay. In Normal. Aggressively. While drunk.

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