Contemplating
What will I do today
To pretend I am still me?
Will I bake, walk, sweat, smoke?
Or shall I lock myself in a room
With windows open,
Feeling the outstretched breeze reach,
Touching my cheek,
Bidding me to join in
While I lay motionless in bed
My stillness guarantees no comfort or reprieve
And yet I somehow remain this way
As though by doing so
I can make myself so small
Allowing time to flow
Me as a passive and reluctant participant
Not to exist for a while
Only to resume when all this has passed...
Jonell Pangle-Merriweather, who is a Buckeye transplant currently living in sunny Southern California, has forever enjoyed the written word. Having recently completed her first novel, Come Here: A Collection of Erotic Short Stories, which awaits publication, she continues to evolve and explore new ventures within poetry, prose and vignettes. Her writing style has been described as both concise and free-form, predilecting various subject matters of the visceral, personal reflections, growth and, the most recent inspiration, her newfound love.
When her partner, who is sadly separated from her during COVID, imagined them together for a day at the beach, wrote a vignette for her to enjoy a time that has yet to come, she naturally answered his version with one of her own. Since challenged by this distance, they have curated a life for each other in written form where they exchange what can best be described as modern-day love letters, depicting the beautiful life they have yet to experience. These submissions were inspired by this love with all its beauty, grace and challenges.
