Something from Me

It's been a bit since I showed a poem of my own, may as well indulge my egotism. I'm going to post some very weak stuff of my own soon (just in the interest of full disclosure). But for now here's something recent I'm sort of fond of.

No Other Way

Matt Quarterman

I had to do what I did
to get where I got.
I can’t say that I’m proud of it.
Pride is not what it’s about.


It’s what I had to do,
it went where it willed.
It’s not that I had no choice.
Choosing is not what it’s about.


I had to go, and I did
get what was to be had.
You might think it’s what was meant to be.
But it’s not about fate.


The going and having,
the doing and getting
can’t be about anything
besides what they’re about.


There’s just no other way to put it.
There’s just no other way.




I think it's about the process of writing, but it could just as easily be about the process of living, too. There's an element of fate and an element of free will in everything, but you can't tell which is which until later. 


I also like making definitive statements about intangible, subjective topics.