Some Days

A short poem for those who want to keep living.

Hello!

I’m continuing my series of sharing a spoken word poem every Wednesday. Today’s poem, Some Days, is from my first book, I’m All Over the Place.

I remember writing this poem in the winter of 2014, back when I was just starting out as a writer. At 24, I was living alone in Northern Wisconsin, working at an outdoor ministry camp. As a Florida kid, adjusting to Wisconsin’s four seasons was tough. Summer was my favorite. Fall felt like a gift. Spring grew on me. But winter—winter was my enemy. Between loneliness, depression, and the lack of sunshine, I wasn’t doing well. The snow piled up, and so did my emotions. I spent most of that season writing, trying to make sense of what I wanted my life to be, wondering why God had sent me to a place that made me feel this way.

One Sunday afternoon, as I drove home from the grocery store, this poem came to mind. I pulled over to the side of the road, grabbed my phone, and jotted it down. It wasn’t a perfect poem—most poems aren’t perfect right away. They need rounds of editing, seasons of stillness.

When I got home, I read it out loud a few times, listening for what I wanted to change (this is one way I edit). But when it came time to make those edits, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to change the words. With this poem, the rough draft was the final piece.

Even now, when I read it, there are lines I might want to tweak—but I won’t. The poem is what it is, and I’m glad I left it that way.

Something about honest, unedited words find their way into hearts and minds differently than a perfectly scripted piece.

I recently performed Some Days at a show (video below), and after the show someone from the audience told me it was their favorite poem. “It’s just honest and hopeful and simple,” they said.

And maybe, if something is honest, hopeful, and simple—it doesn’t need to be edited. It just needs to be shared.

With Hope,

Tanner

A live reading of Some Days.

Some Days

Some days you'll need the open road and loud nostalgic music.

You'll need phone calls with family and conversations with old friends.

Some days you'll need the rain and you'll need the window down.

Some days you'll need to get out of the car and take a picture in the middle of the road, or pull over to watch the sunset.

Most days you'll need a cup of coffee and an open Bible.

And you'll need to get a refill on both.

Some days you just need to be reminded that today is another day.

And you'll need to do things to remind yourself that you're you and you're alive to live.

But everyday we will need each other and we will need to be reminded that we aren't alone.

Everyday we will need meaningful hugs and hopeful smiles.

We will need to hear we are loved and that it's ok for us to be ourselves.

Some days we will have to ask to be told these things; other days honest words of love will be freely spoken into our lives.

And those are the days we live for.

Those are the days that keep us alive.

And being alive is a good thing.

---

Some Days can be found in my book, I’m All Over the Place..

Website | 📚 Books | On Instagram | On Facebook | ⭐️ Online store

---

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts.

For more poetry and stories follow me on Instagram and Facebook.