‘Just in Time’: a reflective poetic monologue

Abstract

‘Just in Time’ is a reflectively derived poetic monologue, short segments of which appear in an auto‐ethnographic tale by the author of this paper. The two representations (auto‐ethnography and poem) were written independently yet they served a symbiotic function, seemingly prompting and guiding in turn. The interconnected reflective and writing process associated with the compilation of ‘Just in Time’ suggests a process of sense‐making and understanding. In a temporal sense, the poetic monologue presented here initially explores memories of a sporting childhood and concludes in more contemporary times by sharing the precise ending with the auto‐ethnographic tale cited above. The author’s often fractured and incomplete memories of early and young adult years encouraged his engagement with the poetic genre and, in combination with the writing of the auto‐ethnography, they represent an example of staged and critical reflection, a process that enabled the collation and ordering of random emotions and events; maybe as a jig‐saw might be completed by a chance connection. Further to the meanings embedded in the author’s own constructions of time and place, it is hoped that the poem might also ‘reach‐out’ to readers in a way that generates new reflections and associations based on the complexities and ruminations of their own life journey.

Keywords:

• auto‐ethnography
• poetic
• monologue
• reflection
• complexity
• content

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the following for their feedback on earlier drafts of Just in Time: David Llewellyn, Robyn Jones, Kitrina Douglas, David Carless, Jake Bailey, James Morton, and Students and Staff at the University of Copenhagen Narrative Summer School, June 2010.