by Serena Soimis
The first half of “Red Apple Aphorisms” was written in a time of disparity. I was questioning if poetry was what I really wanted to do, and questioning if it’s something I’m actually good at. The second half is about reclamation of myself and who I was, and the acceptance of it.
An apple, red as the eye of a maddened dog, sits on
The windowsill soaking in the sun’s rays.
One might find it intriguing to see the apple take a
New form as it dries, while another simply sees food
That just so happens to be on a windowsill.
Maybe to be a poet is not to find poetry in everything,
But to be able to differentiate exactly what is
Poetic and what is not.
To drink from the fountain of everlasting youth, is it
To only look young forever, or is it to remain in
Blissful naivety for eternity?
Is it possible that a cloud is not as soft as the eye
Determines it to be, but just as hard and as willful as a
Tree grown on the bank of a river?
The mind will always remember that strawberries are
Not so sweet all the time.
Although I may be bold as an ink stamp on a postcard
Sent to a lost lover, I too can fade away if I’m left alone
For long- decaying under piles of other postcards sent
By new lovers.
I am finding content in being there before the rest.
Old samurai named their katanas “bushido”, dictating
That a samurai’s soul was in his katana.
I believe that I live the same way; synonymous with a
Blade.
During the light of day, the window shows the earth,
But as night arrives, the only thing the window shows
Is the looker’s reflection.
Across the world, no matter how murky the water,
The moon’s reflection will always be cast upon it.
In this life, I am the same as the cloud softened by the
Eye, as I am the tree who has grown on the bank of a
River, as I am the river’s water-
Rushing by.
My name is Serena Soimis, and I am a LGBTQ+ youth of color who has been using poetry to connect with and heal their inner-child for five years now. Each piece of poetry is an “Ode to Myself”.