Ode to Motivation

Today, I am following a prompt from Ethical ELA's July Open/Write, five days of poetry writing with other Teacher/Writers. The inspiration is to write an ode - to think of something or someone you love and admire, and roll these thoughts into a poem. 

For awhile, I played with words about "digging in the dirt" - there is a real poem there, I am sure, because I love to work in the garden and I get such a great mix of feelings from this experience...truly, to be outside with a trowel is to partake in a little therapy during this time of COVID. 

However, my thoughts about dirt led to this:

Ode to Motivation

 

Oh, my sweet Motivation,

you are my sun,

my everything,

truly, life-giving.

When you are around me,

I am giddy,

capable and creative,

strong, stimulated, and unstoppable.

This thing we have between us is BEAUTIFUL!

Yes, I feel embraced, enveloped, enriched by you.

I know you through and through.

I know you are mine,

all mine.

 

There’s something difficult I want to talk about.

I don’t understand why,

sometimes,

you leave me.

 

Do you know that I feel so empty

when you are gone?

I don’t even understand!

Why have you gone?!

 

I always search for you.

Sometimes I can see you are simply

playing with me,

hiding,

and I lure you back.

Most often, though,

you are truly gone.

 

Days without you are

long and sad,

a wallowing,

a soak in nothingness.

I no longer want for anything.

Not even you.

 

Why do you leave me?

Where do you go?

I have a right to know!

 

Oh, Motivation,

you are fickle, coy, elusive!

If we had been honest with one another before you left,

what would you have shared?

What do I not know about you?

Why do you toy with me this way?

Why do you feel the need to leave me?

 

Enough.

I can see this isn’t a good time to talk.

Let’s not think about your future absence.

Let’s have fun together now.

Love you, Motivation!

Here are the comments I received on Ethical ELA:

Denise Krebs

Oh, Maureen,
Brava! My goodness. That is a winner of an ode to Motivation. I think I have a very similar relationship with Motivation.
This was a particularly good insight when Motivation has left us:

I no longer want for anything.
Not even you.

Just wow!

Member

Monica Schwafaty

Beautiful! This is exactly how I feel about hope.

Member

Mo Daley

Maureen, what a funny ode to motivation. I smiled as I read it because it’s so relatable. I love the thought of trying to lure her/him back!

Member

Glenda M. Funk

Maureen,
I feel every word of your ode. It took me all day to write mine. My mind is asked. Favorite lines:

Days without you are
long and sad,
a wallowing,
a soak in nothingness.

—Glenda

Member

Amy Compton

I can explain this dilemma perfectly. When our dear friend, Motivation, is absent from one of our lives it has obviously gone for a visit with the other. Lately at my house Motivation has been sleeping on my couch (which isn’t real comfortable), so I’m going to assume it’s been with you. While I really love having motivation here with me, I certainly don’t wish to deprive you of its company. Does our dear friend, Motivation, have a twin, a cousin, a clone? That way Motivation can be with both of us!

Member

Tracie McCormick

Maureen,

I just knew there would be a transition like this at some point because we all know the story about motivation,

“There’s something difficult I want to talk about.
I don’t understand why,
sometimes,
you leave me.”

And then this stanza…let’s just not worry about what might happen. Instead, let’s just enjoy motivation when it’s here!

“Enough.
I can see this isn’t a good time to talk.
Let’s not think about your future absence.
Let’s have fun together now.”

You capture this conflicted relationship in such a relatable manner!