As some of you know I like to write poetry. The power of poetry is that you can get people to look at something, compare it to something else and get an understanding of the experiences involved.
Here are a few examples of writing poetry to help others or myself understand certain issues.

The issue of age….

Little Man

In the days when childhood was me,
when my little legs grew tired
and your shoulders supported me,
held me above the world of adults.
You were my father,
I was proud to be your little man.

Since then the adult world has shrunk
and your old legs now grow tired.
You are the burden on my shoulders.
In this strange world of adults,
which your mind denies for childhood.
And when you remember,
I live now in your memories,
where I am still … your little man.

When your childhood seems too much,
I remember the times you carried me,
When my legs could hold me no more,
And with pride I hold you aloft,
Above the world of adults,
To be my father, and I your little man.

The issue of miscarriage

Stolen Dreams

I look back now to the days when I dreamed
of the bundle of laughter and innocence
that would soon be rocked to sleep within my arms.

A child growing up in a father’s love…
The joy and happiness of the first word,
counting the candles on the cake for the first time,
the first step……
but then…

Suddenly, the curtain of fantasy is closed!
Darkness descends.
The spare room is empty.
The clothes now worn by someone else’s baby,
the congratulatory cards never received.
The dreams turned to nightmares.
A longing still remains.

The years and stress have also caught and held,
squeezed the life from a future that can be no more.
The heartache of seeing someone else’s dreams fulfilled,
playing laughing … and living.
________________________________
I have mourned long enough, I now let it all go…
To dream new dreams of other things together.
Dreams of love and friendship.
Dreams of you,
of your smile and your laughter.
I dream now of us … and happiness.

Exploring your ancestry…

Genealogy

You hung on to the years with every wasting muscle,
grim determination, pulling back every stray minute.
And during your breaks you chill,
drinking coffee with snowmen.

Now your bookend of a tombstone holds a summary
in stone etched grooves, reminding the generations.
Those who never knew your humanity, your kinship;
of the one now dust on the soles of their feet.

The fond memories of the past reside
in fading photos of your gentle smile.
Till all that remains is the birth name you were given
on the outstretched limb of our family tree.

The issue of Divorce…

Divorce
Songs of love now flat
No longer tuned to you
the rhythm of your heartbeat … gone.
Rhyme echoes hollow
In the space between us.

Memories of us rewritten
In your bitter mind,
Acts of kindness
Unnoticed.

Gone are the days of romance
Replaced by the whispers of another
Fate sits, deciding the future
Moses touching the waters,
We divide.

Dry land awaits me
Carries me onwards
While the waters rage around me,
‘till I am safe again
On the other side.

Archaeology…

The after-life

Resting, in hallowed halls they wait,
midst their crumbling earthly goods,
empty eyes gazing into the darkness
hollow shells of former selves.

Finally, dried orbs see the light!
The eternal breaks through from above,
only to dust and scrape them from slumber,
flicking away hope to uncover their past.

Now their naked bones lie for all to see,
entombed in sarcophagus of glass.
An afterlife of fluorescent-lit shame,
midst hallowed halls of learning.

Well, I hope I inspire some of you to write some poetry.
You can express so much with it.
Hope you enjoyed reading some of mine!
Paul

  1. Anonymous says:

    Thank you for posting some of your poems, Paul…they speak to the heart!