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I don’t write lists. I put up sticky notes.
On the wall beside my desk.
Yellow squares remind me
to buy raspberries, call the plumber,
reschedule the dentist, prepare
for a Monday morning meeting.
Each note bears bold black letters
printed with a Sharpie so I can read
it at a glance and be enticed
to tend to a task, waiting
like a lover on a lawn chair.
It’s such a sweet pleasure,
to reach over and pull down a note.
I wonder if the scientist at 3M,
who tried to invent a strong adhesive
and by happy accident found
a lighter reusable one, ever imagined
my wall of yellow squares.
Or how I judge my days
by how many sticky notes
I’ve unstuck.
© by Jacqueline Jules.
Used here with the author’s permission.
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Jacqueline Jules is a former librarian who found herself intrigued by almost every book she put on the shelf. As a reader and as a writer, she doesn’t restrict herself to one genre. She is the author of 50 books for young readers on a wide variety of topics, including two poetry books for young readers, Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence (Albert Whitman, 2020), and Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember (Bushel & Peck, 2023). Jacqueline is also the author of four poetry books for adults, including a collection of biblically inspired poems, Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books, 2021). After 26 years in Virginia, she moved to Long Island to be closer to her grandchildren. Learn more about her at www.jacquelinejules.com.
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BAMars:
So many notes, so little time! Love this. Mine are scattered all over my desk, in pants pockets, etc. An exercise in futility.
Posted 04/06/2024 03:48 AM
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Lori Levy:
Love the image of your "wall of yellow squares" and how you "judge my days/by how many sticky notes/I've unstuck."
Posted 04/05/2024 12:56 PM
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Wilda Morris:
Fun poem. Maybe not environmentally sound, but I confess I make use of those sticky squares,too.
Posted 04/05/2024 11:51 AM
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michael escoubas:
Delightful, Jacqueline. I just crossed-off an entry from my handwritten "to do" list.
Posted 04/05/2024 10:15 AM
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Jancan:
Delightful, entertaining piece~~one that resonates with me!
Posted 04/05/2024 10:13 AM
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Leslie Hodge:
Fun poem, and I agree, the line "waiting / like a lover in a lawn chair" is fabulous!
Posted 04/05/2024 09:56 AM
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KinVT:
Amen sister ! :)
Posted 04/05/2024 09:11 AM
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suzanne:
I agree "waiting like a lover on a lawn chair" is wonderful writing.
Posted 04/05/2024 08:03 AM
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Larry Schug:
How my wife wishes I was a "note person" of any kind. This poem explains her point of view a little better. Thanks, I needed that.
Posted 04/05/2024 07:46 AM
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mail@schoolbusmart.com:
Sticky what? Don't you own a calendar inside your phone? I know it's paper you like to touch, but a wall of paper is too much. There's apps for you like "To do list," save a tree and get with it. Now take a note: I liked your piece. It gets my vote. Randy Mazie
Posted 04/05/2024 07:31 AM
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NormaB:
Just this morning I unstuck a yellow note from my bedside table. I love your wall of yellow squares!
Posted 04/05/2024 07:22 AM
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Sharon Waller Knutson:
I'm a fan of Jacqueline Jules. I love this charming delightful poem. Favorite line:
waiting like a lover on a lawn chair.
Posted 04/05/2024 07:21 AM
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