Join Diane (who started it all), MotherOwl, Mimi and me as we shoehorn our thoughts and feelings into poetry form. Delores, at Mumblings, has made the decision to leave Blogland; last week's Monday poem was her final contribution. It couldn't have been an easy choice and I, for one, will miss her quick wit and wonderful poetry very much. (In unsurprisingly related news, I hereby wish a pox on trolls and hackers; long may they burn in Heck ...) All the best to you and your family, Delores. You can always return to our wide-open arms if you decide the coast is clear.
If the rest of you would like to give Poetry Monday a try, you may leave a poem in the comments or post on your own blog; if you do the latter, please drop a note in the comments so we can come along and read and applaud. Use the topic or choose any other; this is meant to be a fun exercise and we don't get all uppity about rules.
*****
Summer fun.
So many directions to go with this wide-open topic!
And yet ... there's really only one way to go when you're an introvert, like my husband and I both are, living in a town run by extroverts.
Let me explain.
Our town is host to many events starting in May and continuing through September. Every other weekend there is something Big going on. It's great for those who enjoy festivals and races and fireworks and endless eating and loud music and crowds of people, but for others (like us) it translates into noise, noise, and more noise, plus traffic jams and frequent street closures and detours when we are trying to get to work and do errands, and a feeling that the town we moved to thirty years ago has changed significantly without any input from the quiet people who chose it because it was quiet.
So . . . where some folks see "a good time", we see raucous, boozy events; where some folks who have moved away find joy in "coming home" and partying with other returnees in the summertime, we can't wait for them to leave us to what is now our home; and where some folks happily gather in herds and mobs and masses, we stick close to home and wait for the end of summer and for them to disperse. There have been more than a few evenings this summer that I chose not to take a walk because I didn't feel safe being alone and running into shrieking groups of people that I could hear in the not-so-far distance.
Come late September, peace will return. I just wish we had more of it in the other months of summer.
Whine, whine, whine.
Maybe if I write a scathing poem I'll feel better. That's how it works, right?
Right??
Oh, okay then, maybe not scathing, but definitely not singing the praises of the frenzied pack :)
Thank you, Diane, for giving us this topic. I've been wanting to write about this for some time now but needed a reason to do so.
*****
I Know, I Know -- #First World Problems
All winter long I savour thoughts
Of springtime warmth and garden pots
Of yard time and my gentle walks
Of porch time and our quiet talks
But then the month of May arrives
And "fun" events disrupt our lives
Instead of days and nights of peace
They're full of noise that will not cease
Crowds a-roaring, music shrill
Streets hijacked to feed the thrill
Designated drinking zones
And endless booming microphones
All summer long I harbour thoughts
Of punching idiotic sots
Of cutting the electric wires
That feed performers' amplifiers
But, breathing deeply, I resist
(That doesn't mean I do not hiss)
I look ahead to just one thing --
Relief that summer's end will bring
For when the summer "fun" is done
Our autumn peace will have begun
Ahhhhhhhhh . . .
 |
Photo: Pixabay |
*****
Maybe it was scathing after all. So hard to tell when your hair is standing on end, along with all your nerve endings.
Onward ho! Next week's topic, chosen by yours truly, is ......... BODIES OF WATER ....... big ones, small ones -- let your imagination roam.
Here's hoping your upcoming week leaves all your hairs lying down nicely :)
42 comments:
As a fellow introvert, this speaks loudly to me. I go to some of our festivals for the event, but I would like them much, much better with less people. Today I am wearing a t-shirt which says Walk Away. I am a Grumpy Old Woman...
I have Anger Issues and serious dislike of Stupid People' Some days the word Stupid is redundant.
And it is true, I am a grumpy old woman.
dear Jenny first of all i felt sorry to hear about Delores who is leaving the blogging world ,i don't know why it is so often to hear such news these days .i found it sad but hope some new wonderful friend will join this world soon !
i am sorry that your town in summers is crowedy and noisy which is painful specially when being introvert you once chose it because it was soothing and calm ,i can relate to this suffering being introvert so well ,some very close neighboring people visited us often in beginning when we moved here and insisted us to visit them as well which was not our thing at all ,we visited them few time and that's it
once they realized that we love to live all by our own and quietly they started to create noisy environment around us ,and will you believe they doing it nonstop since years :) how psychopath they sound aren't they :) they keep themselves in misery just to hurt us which God does not let happen ever :)
i am glad that you will find peace in September my friend and i know it's value for you as introvert :)
i absolutely LOVED your poetry rhythm and story within is incredible and fantastic :)
haha image made me laugh ,perfect to describe current feelings lol
i hope soon events will be over and hair will lay down peacefully :)
blessings and hugs!
Scathing, maybe. Deserved, yes. I'm suddenly happy to live in a quiet place, where the noice is related to graduation parties, birthdays and jubilees.
I hope you feel a bit better for having let some steem off.
Love the picture and the great poem. We have a couple of months of noisy upheaval here in summer, but mostly within the city limits and I'm a couple of suburbs away, so the only disruption for me is the bus schedules.
I can certainly relate to being frustrated by people interfering with your plans for peace and quiet, in fact I feel like I have an outsized appreciation for it considering that I'm an electric guitarist.
But when I think of summer fun I tend to think of rivers in the National Forest that were kind of cold for swimming, but I was gonna do it anyway, and not too many people around at all...
-Doug in Oakland
And finally when all is said and done
I’m glad to be the quiet one.
Me too, Jenny!
It sounds like you live in the Hamptons, or maybe Provincetown! (But I know you don't.) Maybe your town needs to consolidate some of these events to give locals a little peace and quiet -- though I expect the more events, the more visitors and the more money they bring.
Okay campgrounds are bad enough. I quit camping many rears ago unless I was backpacking. It's quiet in the wilderness.
Oh, my word! Again, this is totally brilliant!
And I feel your pain! Fortunately, most of the festivals in our area are in the great city just five minutes north. We only have one loud festival here and it's one weekend.
Leaving the rest of the summer for the DRAG-RACERS ON THE STRAIGHT STRETCH OF STREET JUST BEHIND OUR HOUSE.
Calm now...
I get great fun out of picturing you cutting the wires to someone amplifiers.
And punching some 'idiotic sot'!
Now you can picture this old lady taking a shovel to some no-brained pedal pusher before he can hit the gas!
Good poem, Jenny, and I can certainly relate to the frizzled hair lady. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” A town near me changed from a down and out steel town to a nice town with lovely restaurants and shops specializing in artistic endeavors. First Fridays were started in the summer and it was very nice with townspeople and those near by walking around enjoying the boutique stores and cafes. Then one festival became a few and a few became many. Then the eight breweries opened and people came by the thousands and so did the noise and problems. Thankfully, I live 20 minutes away and often just hear the fireworks that are a weekly occurrence. I like to sit outside on my deck at night and listen to the sounds of summer. I have been known to scream out obscenities when a passing motorcyclist speeds thru “my” country road and spoils my peaceful mood. I guess I have just become a crabby old lady, but I earned the right to be one.
Come sit beside me on the Grumpy Old Women Bench, EC :D I think I need one of those t-shirts!
A couple of the events are more on the cultural side (which yours seem to be) and I wouldn't mind those if they were the only ones. But somehow we've acquired a lot of races, eating and partying.
How unfortunate that your neighbours have chosen to be so petty! We had noisy neighbours at one time and it was frustrating. Luckily they moved away after a few years. Maybe yours will, too.
Thank you for your kind words, as always, my friend. Hugs.
It's a double-edged sword, MotherOwl - yes it lets some steam off, but it also makes me think about it more, which makes me more upset. I think they cancel each other out! I'm glad you live in a place that allows you the quiet you enjoy. Birthdays and graduations and so on are nice events to listen to and to take part in.
Sounds like a good place to live!
I probably should have tried to write about actual fun ... sometimes the writing prompts just propel me in a different direction.
Swimming (or even just wading!) in a beautiful river sounds like a good experience to have in your memory bank.
One of our events is a musical one, and if it was the only one, or one of just a few, I wouldn't mind. It's the unrelenting schedule that gets me down.
Short and sweet, Marie! Well said :)
I'm not convinced the economic benefits are there -- quite a few of the events are in direct competition to existing businesses such as restaurants, and others bring people for a day but not overnight for the hotels. As for consolidating events, that doesn't seem to be a concern. The town recently put on what was basically a party, with the express purpose of livening up an "empty" weekend! Grr :)
Yes, campgrounds can be terrible for noise and inconsiderate behavior!
Oh, drag-racers - now they ARE noisy and the noise is up close and personal. I can sympathize! We get something similar on the street where I work - not racing, but motorcycles with apparently no muffler right outside the window.
I felt somewhat guilty taking this week's prompt in such a negative direction, Diane. I'm not glad you have drag-racers but I'm glad you could relate :)
Great rant poem, Jenny! As a fellow introvert, I sometimes like to know I COULD go out to some event if I wanted to, and then the staying home feels chosen and delicious instead of boring and loser-ish. But that's just me.
That kind of sounds like how our town developed such an excess of events, Arleen ("one festival became a few and a few became many").
Come sit on the Grumpy Old People bench with the rest of us; maybe we can annoy the noise-makers with some of our own noise :)
You've described that push/pull perfectly, 37p!
I don't mind a cultural event or a nice meal being put on; there just seem to be so many of them. But if I wanted to live in a place that was always hopping, I'd have moved there in the first place! And recent events that have been added are less culture and more, shall we say, low-brow ...
While there is a festival or fete or party going on every single weekend year 'round in our state (yes, really) and several local ones, at least we live in an area where we can choose to go near them or not, and not be bothered if we don't go.
Wishing you lots of autumn peace!
Year 'round - eek! I guess things could still get worse! We might have to move!
I'm looking forward to the autumn peace. If you hadn't already gathered that :)
I hope you find some quiet.With a hurricane moving towards Florida and other systems forming, this is not a peaceful time.
Definitely not peaceful in your part of the world, e. I hope the hurricane bypasses you by a good margin and that you and Lukas will be safe and well.
Am I mistaken, I thought this weeks theme was 'marbles', or am I a week out somewhere?
I enjoyed your poem and can understand your feelings about events in your town that you can't get away from.
Both my husband and I were born in different cities and since we married we have moved to smaller and smaller areas until we now live in a small remote village deep in the Devon counryside. Although there are plenty of things going on in the village, they don't intrude on the peace and tranquility here. One thing we have to remember though is that we live in a county where people come for their holidays, so the roads and holiday areas are choc-a-bloc with cars and caravans. We took our two grand-daughters to McDonalds in Exeter (Devon's capital city) last Friday and we said 'never again'. The roads were a nightmare and there wasn't any room to eat inside so had to eat in the car. We should have remembered our experiences in the holiday seasons the last time we lived in Devon.
Have a good week and take care, Jenny.
Hi Joan, last week was "marbles" - you must have been very busy having fun! (time flies when you're having fun or so they say)
Anyplace that is beautiful tends to get overrun with visitors after word gets around, doesn't it? The crowds can be as frustrating as noise is.
Living on the edge of a national park, we are subject to weeks and weekends of "pleasure". Sadly, all those racers and competitive hikers and bikers have no concept that tying up our country roads puts us miles and miles out of the way. You can't just go around the block to avoid the interruption. For us, this goes on week in and week out.
Good point about country roads versus town or city blocks. I'll try to keep that in mind as I dodge and weave my way around next summer :) You have my sympathy for the year-long hassle you're dealing with.
Ripper one, and not too scathing at all. Be it a large city or small town or somewhere at the seaside, no one ever asks if our place to grow in size. This is serious quality of life stuff, as you illustrate.
I tend to wonder how many other quiet people out there are chafing at the "new and improved" town ... surely it's not just us. It's a process that might be hard to reverse, though.
Oh, what an awful thing to happen to your town! Peace and quiet are precious to me, and the thought of being in the chaos you describe makes my stomach churn. I hope your town settles down soon! Sending peaceful thoughts your way...
Thanks, Diane. I doubt things will improve; there are more each year and there are still many months of the year that the town hasn't used up yet :) I may have to give somebody a piece of my mind but I'm not sure I can spare it!
I relate to your poem. Leave me to enjoy the introvert's life.
Love,
Janie
I feel I'm in good company here! An introvert in good company - is that an oxymoron?
I also like the peacefulness of being quietly alone.
It seems there are quite a few of us. I wonder if bloggers tend to be more introverted than the general population?
You are almost there to your autumn peace. Hang in there, jenny_o.
Soon . . . Soon . . . :)
Thanks, Mr. S.
I'm glad I'm not dj-ing near you! Lol. I don't want my wires cut!
Ha ha! I don't mind music INSIDE, or even outside once in awhile. It's the constant barrage when we're trying to have a peaceful summer that sets me off :D
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