I Remember...

I remember laughing so hard that I cried.

I remember the first time I told you I loved you.

I remember the first time you told me you loved me.

I remember the gentle breeze flowing through my hair on the first day of spring.

I remember the taste of lemonade that needed more sugar.

I remember the burn from the heat of a pepper that was just a little too hot for me.

I remember the fight we had, and how I thought it would all blow over.

I remember the way I felt when I realized we would never speak again.

I remember the heat of the vinyl seat in a car that had been parked in the direct sunlight at the height of summer.

I remember the joy I felt when waking up on Christmas day to more gifts that I could count.

I remember the confusion I felt after a receiving a diagnosis that was considered fatal in times past.

I remember the elation I felt when I found out that such a diagnosis was not considered terminal.

I remember the reading a story so good that it grabbed my emotions tight and made me cry.

I remember leaving a city I didn't like only to return to a city I called home.

I remember the apricot-softness of a newborn's skin.

I remember the school bell ringing, signalling that was time to go home.



From Government Creative writing group, July 17, 2014. Writing prompt: Wrtite a poem with every line beginning with the words "I remember..." (10 minutes)

That poem is from an exercise given in my government writing group, which has been meeting once a month for the past few months. I'm not naming my agency on purpose, but the group is based up in our DC headquarters. I participate on the phone. It's been good for me. There's a nice mix of  people.

I like this exercise because it forced me to relive a plethora of feelings, everything from joy to sorrow. There are even some sensory lines there (taste, touch, etc).  I may work on it a little more.

I'm wondering what would I write if the time limit for the exercise was a full hour?

And I'm wondering if I have some lemons in the fridge for lemonade?