Progress on Clearance - Book Update by Greg Luti
- Greg Luti
- Jun 23
- 6 min read
In this book update, Greg Luti shares his current progress on the poetry collection *Clearance*, including his goal of compiling around 120 poems and the process of refining older work for the book.
Aiming for 120 poems
I am going through all the poems I wrote up a while back and seeing which ones are done and putting them into a collection. So far, I have about 10 poems that are done. There are plenty more for me to do. I have a feeling that one afternoon, I may just take all day and see how many I can actually edit so they are complete. My last poetry book had 100 poems, so I am aiming for about 120 or so in this one. I think I have 100 completed poems left, but I am not sure, if I am honest.
Two poems from the collection
The first poem here is about the lesson a trainer could have given an athlete. The other is random thoughts a co-worker has before starting work.
Track Lesson
As I walk around the high school track attempting to get my steps in for the day, I see the trainer finish their session with their clients.
The man was no older than me, but obviously in better shape, and had thirty yards of sports equipment spread out along the football field.
Boxes for squats
dumbbells for lifts
Barbells for lunges
A variety of goodies only a professional would have.
Most people at the track only go with themselves and a water bottle and leave after the fourth lap.
As if critiquing an athlete’s form, I thought of the misstep in the trainer’s ending of his session.
He missed out on a valuable lesson he could have taught his striving athletes.
The kids should have helped him clean up the sports equipment.
“Finish what you start” can be the lesson he tells them.
They used the equipment; they have to put it back.
That is their responsibility.
Many hate cleaning up and with good reason; there is no glory or honor involved with it.
And most times, nobody even notices that it gets done.
Every workplace needs a janitor, but nobody wants to be the janitor.
Yet personal maintenance is a key component that many overlook in their life.
Whether it is working out at home, writing a novel, or just going about your daily activities, there will come a point when you need to complete that task.
By then, you are tired, physically and most definitely mentally, so you will probably not be in the mood to clean up.
“What is the big deal?” You’ll ask.
“It is not like anyone will notice it, right?”
So you leave something out in the way.
You don’t put back what you could have put back.
You don’t complete the task.
And what happens?
Something related to that task pops up, and you are not prepared for it.
Why? Because you never really finished it anyway.
If you had gotten that thing out of the way or put everything back, then you would have been officially completed with what you were doing.
So if something happens (which you and I both know will happen), you can start that new task right away without any struggle.
Take a few minutes to complete whatever the hell it is you are doing.
It won’t seem like much, but you’ll be very happy you did it down the road.
If I were a trainer, I’d have lessons like that for the kids as they work out.
Cause sports are never about winning or losing.
Or getting the strongest, or the fastest.
The game will change.
The rules will change.
The arena will change.
But the lessons that you can get through to someone through sports, those won’t change.
Plus, I wouldn’t want to put all the equipment back by myself.
