My day 25 poem for National Poetry Writing Month sort of uses the prompt on Napowrimo.net—to write ‘a poem that explores a small, defined space.’ I chose, as the title suggests, my head. I also used a form of sorts—I can’t assume that it is entirely original, but I came up with it on my own—in which the last two lines of each stanza combined contain the same number of words as the first line.

Headspace

How is it I fit
all that stuff
in here?

My hat size is extra-large
but still I
have to wonder

Everything I think and feel
goes on
in this space

Every doubt I nurture and tend
draws me down
drags me down

There are no walls here
but the space
is confined

and too much of what goes on
leads me down
paths best left unmapped—

especially those that wrap around
turning me back
on myself

until I ask:
Where’s
the door?

(24 April 2017—posted April 25th ET)