A poem a day for 2013 - day 15 - The chicken or the egg

A story does not know it is something to be told one day
It is not biding its time to be chosen
To be held in your mouth 
Savored and swallowed
Forgotten and flushed

You think story is concerned whether you can write or not
You think story care about your cadence and comedy
The way you hold the microphone up close
Or write at your oak desk from Ikea late night or no
Baby, story is out there living

Is in the back of somebody's church
Pairing hallelujah and goddamn

Is under a bridge
In the pocket of a woman 
You passed by yesterday
On your way to the library

Story has a life
You
Catch 
It

It does not have fantasy 
Of ending up in a gold trimmed journal
With your name embossed on the cover
It is not looking for you
It doesn't see itself mandatory 
To your moment
Story is poly amorous

You betta get in where you fit in

A story is busy navigating its way through relationship
With its mother who tried but never understood
With its father who wanted it to be something else
And gave it a nickname ending with ie or y

A story is running
Arms pumping
Knees high
Head constantly turning 
No matter how many times you say different
Story looks to past
It was raised that way I think

Story wants to be 
To feed off of energy and love
Hate and jealousy and fear
Forgiveness and hope and butter
It does not judge
Story wants to play itself out
Grow details and verbs
Similes and sugar

Story ain't thinkin' about you
It's in the air always creating itself new
It is thick and musty and everywhere
Like the flu
Story is sticky
And gets stale
It goes to sleep
Wakes with new conundrums and corridors 

Story is not impressed with your hardwood floors

Is star honored it caught your gaze
Does rain check its schedule 
For your picnic outdoors

Story has a life
Rolling down your block
With participles dangling
Fitting your grasp

If you reach