The Missed Messages of Everyday Life

Sep 27

Written By Carla Monroy

Day 9 of 100 Poems: What a Five-Line Poem Revealed About the Questions We Forget to Ask.

Day 9 Prompt: Write a five-line poem that sums up your day.

Missed Messages

When I rose today, my brain sent me
an intention to be my ultimate self.

As I went about my day, I pondered the
meaning of life.

I acknowledged the importance
of asking questions.

And I owned up to the ways in which
I have failed myself for not
asking enough.

Everyday there is a message, if
you’re open to it –I truly wonder
how many I’ve missed.

When a Poem Chooses Its Own Title

Writing on this topic came pretty easy to me because I enjoy short form poems but by the same sentiment, it is also hard to keep things to five lines especially if you’ve got a lot to say. Because writing short poems is my bread and butter, I ended up writing two versions. As I reflected and re-read both one came across slightly more cliché. While the other pondered some very heavy thoughts. I guess instead of summing up what I did in a day. I summed up the thoughts I had.

The title came to me after I wrote the poem. At first, I was going to call it “Ask Questions” but then I started to think about messages and how each day really does have a message if you’re open minded about it. Whether you’re out and about and happen to meet someone you were meant to meet, or whether you’re at home being an introvert surfing You Tube videos, and something comes on the screen that prompts you to have a realization. It is so easy to be on automatic mode lost in the day to day and miss these messages that I believe come from our ancestors, our universe, or our Gods.

The Deeper Meaning of Missed Messages

This is how I arrived at the title. And the profoundness of missing messages motivated me to Google the term. In the literal sense, missed messages refers to missing notifications on a phone or missing emails that you fail to respond to in a timely manner. It isn’t too often that I miss a notification but at times while I’m on the phone doing something else and a message comes in that I dismiss. Well, I have missed messages that way.

The more I dove in, I found that as the term relates to popular culture, it takes on more of a symbolic approach. It can represent unspoken communication, lost connections, and used as a storytelling trope to drive drama. Missed messages can also refer to a generational gap wherein younger people make fun of older people for missing cultural references or trends in time.

Did You Get The Message Today?

Well, that may have come across as bit boring but it is consistency that I am really after so I hope the next post will be more exciting. I would be interested in reading your five-line poem that sums up your day. Or maybe you have a great story about a missed message or missed connection. Please share it with me in the comments below.

Is there anyone that you know who might appreciate this post? Don’t hesitate to share. It really helps. Next time we dive into the mystery of the universe or maybe murder. Which would you want to hear about first?