Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s poet is Marty Eich.
Eich is an English teacher at DeKalb High School. He majored in writing at Illinois Wesleyan University and says he gave up trying to get work published years ago. He’s said he has since started doing the same assignments he has his students doing. His poem is “40, Married, 2 kids.”
My fingernails won’t stop growing
I try to control them, but I can’t.
They move without my knowing.
I used to bite them, controlling,
pruning, meticulously, finally realizing
My fingernails won’t stop growing.
My wife presents my children, glowing,
beaming, pridefully hiding all of their faults.
They move without my knowing.
I sit alone in my room showing
The miraculous skill I possess.
My fingernails won’t stop growing.
Countless children plod through the halls droning
upwards and onwards, to where exactly? I have no clue.
They move without my knowing.
Years add to years, add to more, ongoing.
They are just another part of life I no longer control.
My fingernails won’t stop growing.
They move without my knowing.
