Transcript for Podcast: "I Feel Snitty," Episode 135: "Take a Look, It's in My Book, It's a Reading Promo - Part 5" is now available!

Podcast: I Feel Snitty

Episode 135: Take a Look, It's in My Book, It's a Reading Promo - Part 5

Premiere Date: 5/5/21

Length: 10:25 (1,629 words)

Link: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/take-a-look-its-in-my-book-its-a-reading-promo-part-5/

Transcript: 

Welcome to I Feel Snitty, episode 135, entitled, “Take a Look, It’s in My Book, It’s a Reading Promo – Part 5.” I’m your host, Craig Rozniecki.

 

Given how backed up my writing was, due to the two years I was sick, not only did I release a pair of humor books in 2011, I released my second compilation of poetry – entitled, Penetrating the Heart of Life: Ambiguous in Thought, Ambivalent in Feeling.

 

While I much prefer writing comedy to writing poetry, I definitely think more highly of this compilation than I do Seasons Come, People Grow. The writing here is more personal, more consistent, and more polished. Granted, like with my first such compilation, there are poems included here whose intent is to stimulate thought and/or showcase empathy for another person or group of people’s situation. However, given all I had to endure in the two years leading up to this writing, there are a number of poems which hit close to home as well. Here now are ten poems from this book.

 

This first poem can be found on pages 14 and 15, and is called, “Oblivious to the Obvious.”

 

Oblivious to the Obvious

What I could normally see,

I can see no more,

Blind to what stares me in the face,

My vision suddenly blurred,

 

Others hand me aids,

To help me see more clearly,

Clouded in too much thought,

Fearful of my feelings,

 

My literacy like that of a newborn,

Unable to see what’s in front of me,

Analyzing every last detail,

To learn how to read,

 

Mixed signals come my way,

As optimism and pessimism collide,

Hope that history does not repeat itself,

Yet doubts enter my mind,

 

Is there reason for hope?

Or am I grasping at straws?

Wanting to believe something that’s not,

Living in denial,

 

Glasses are of no aid,

Neither are non-convoluted signs,

With the truth staring me in the face,

Oblivious to the obvious am I.

 

This next poem can be found on pages 24 and 25, and is entitled, “Middle School.”

 

Middle School

As of the first day,

Cliques are formed,

The bullies and jocks,

Geeks and band nerds,

 

Slammed into the lockers,

Fearing the halls,

Forced to do the bullies’ homework,

Getting pushed against a wall,

 

The teasing is constant,

Hatred and enemies result,

The principal wanting to stay out of the way,

Fearful, having been bullied in the past,

 

When their faces aren’t buried in the books,

They become hesitant,

Indecisive,

Irrelevant,

 

Unable to make up their minds,

Which way is north and which way is south,

Speechless when around girls,

In social situations feeling nothing but doubt,

 

The bullies roam the halls,

Their heads held high,

Knowing they’re above the law,

For them, there are no rules or guidelines,

 

They spread rumors,

With no basis in fact,

Pointing their fingers and laughing,

Ready to go on the attack,

 

Lining up militarily,

In cohesion with one another,

As the nerds scatter about,

Not standing by each other,

 

The bullies approach rapidly,

Pounce upon the weak,

Obsessed with battle,

Reluctant on making peace,

 

Welcome to class,

Welcome to adolescence,

Unable to meet in the middle,

Welcome to Congress.

 

This poem is entitled, “An Actor in Life,” and can be found on pages 30 and 31.

 

An Actor in Life

With the cameras focused on me,

My voice suddenly alters,

As my lines come forth,

Possessing a new identity,

 

My hair unlike what it’s been,

My style completely different,

Unrecognizable to family and friends,

Feeling like an out-of-body experience,

 

When the cameras are turned off,

And I exit the set,

I can set aside my character,

And can again be myself,

 

As I travel home,

To see my wife and kids,

I suddenly feel naked,

Like something’s missing,

When I tell my wife hello,

She asks if something is wrong,

That there are constant alterations in my voice,

A look of confusion on my face,

 

With the lines stuck in my head,

I look into a mirror,

Not recognizing myself,

I go into a panic,

 

I rush back to the set,

Place on my outfit,

Look into a mirror,

And feel like myself once again.

 

This next poem can be found on pages 32 and 33, and is entitled, “Deafening Sigh-lence.”

 

Deafening Sigh-lence

My ears are rattled,

Pained by the volume,

Plugs to prevent damage,

The silence is deafening,

 

Not a sound can be heard,

Not a word nor a laugh,

Left for me to interpret,

The silence is deafening,

 

Not a thought is uttered,

Not an emotion expressed,

No tone of voice,

The silence is deafening,

 

I look you straight in the eyes,

Express how I feel,

No reaction is given,

The silence is deafening,

 

Walking away as if you were never there,

Seemingly speechless at my admission,

Awkwardness fills the air,

The silence is deafening,

 

I release a deep, heavy sigh,

The lone audible sound,

Speechless in response,

As my head sinks down,

 

Treating me as if I don’t exist,

No care of my thoughts or feelings,

The plugs now of no aid,

Your silence is deafening.

 

This poem can be found on pages 48 and 49, and is called, “One Night.”

 

One Night

When I awaken,

I look next to me,

Uncertain of who you are,

I begin to shudder,

 

The surrounding room unrecognizable,

Not cognizant of how I arrived,

My memory lacking all the details,

Not fully knowing what happened last night,

 

Worries run rampant,

As I try to sneak out,

Hoping I used protection,

Yet feeling much doubt,

 

Out the door I walk,

Hopeful it’s nothing but a thing of the past,

Praying you don’t call,

That I never bump into you again,

 

In my car I travel,

Uncertain of where I am,

Receiving constant flashbacks,

Promising myself it’ll never happen again,

 

Right as I return home,

I hop into the shower,

Trying to cleanse myself of filth,

Seemingly unable to scrub hard enough,

 

I hit the bars the following night,

Hungover yet again,

Uncertain of who is next to me,

Uncertain of who I am.

 

This next poem is entitled, “Chosen To Be… Dependent Upon the Uncontrollable,” and is on pages 61 and 62.

 

Chosen To Be… Dependent Upon The Uncontrollable

In the perfect place,

At the perfect time,

Destined for glory,

Destined for paradise,

 

Born into this world,

With no choice of my raisers,

No choice of their wealth,

No choice of my location,

 

From birth until death,

Told I was very fortunate,

One of the very few,

Who will experience such glory,

 

Told I will be saved,

If I believe in him,

Told I will live eternally,

If I worship him,

 

Born into this world,

With no choice of my raisers,

No choice of their wealth,

No choice of my location,

 

Dependent upon the uncontrollable,

We’re born into this world,

All believing we are the chosen,

Others damned for that beyond their control.

 

This poem is entitled, “The Maze of Life,” and can be found on pages 101 and 102.

 

The Maze of Life

I take a left,

And another,

I head straight,

And then a right,

 

A dead end staring back at me,

I try to retrace my steps,

Uncertain of where I’m going,

Uncertain of where I am,

 

I turn around,

And see open space,

Trying to recall my previous steps,

But my memory seems distant,

 

Hesitation then tossed to the side,

As I march forth with reckless abandon,

A look of determination fills my eyes,

Uncertain of the beginning or end,

 

I stop suddenly,

Gaze about my surroundings,

Heightened familiarity abounds,

As I’m right back to where I started,

 

A dead end staring back at me,

I try to retrace my steps,

Uncertain of where I’m going,

Uncertain of who I am.

 

On pages 102 and 103 is this next poem. It’s called, “The Mirror of Life.”

 

The Mirror of Life

I stand before the mirror,

Barely able to see my face,

My whole life in front of me,

Hopes and dreams to embrace,

 

I stand before the mirror,

Not liking what I see,

Small for my age,

Changes occurring constantly,

 

I stand before the mirror,

Excited about my future,

Lofty goals still I hold,

Naively full of optimism,

 

I stand before the mirror,

Uncertain of what’s to come,

Full of dedication and determination,

As I’m still young,

 

I stand before the mirror,

My dreams slowly slipping away,

Doubts make their presence known,

Reality finally dawning on me,

 

I stand before the mirror,

Remembering all that was,

Wondering where the time went,

Fearful of what’s to come.

 

The final poem I’ll be sharing with you today is on page 116, and is entitled, “A Speck.”

 

A Speck

I walk down the street,

See what I know,

The world in front of me,

Feeling well and tall,

 

A squirrel climbs a tree,

A child runs around,

Mosquitoes, flies, bees,

Some ants on the ground,

 

I stop and stand back,

Garnering a better perspective,

Of the world I know,

Feeling confident and important,

 

I then gaze about the stars,

Unable to comprehend the distance,

Unable to understand the size,

Feeling small in the process,

 

I look down from a plane,

Little dots moving about,

The world I know,

The world that is not,

 

A speck on this earth,

A speck in this life,

Unable to comprehend the little dot that I am,

Unable to understand the world that is not.

 

The book can be purchased on paperback for $17.10 on Lulu and on Kindle for $3.99 on Amazon. If you have any questions on the book, don’t hesitate to ask.

 

That’s it for today’s episode. Until next time, you can check me out on PodBean, Twitter, Amazon, and Blogger. This has been I Feel Snitty, with Craig Rozniecki. Take care.