24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
A Carol (from Carroll)
If it were up to me, I think that I
Would sit with you by the fire and sing
And spend this life doing nothing but this
Making each day an eternal, melodious song
Always in your presence, always together, for,
To me, you make this world a wonder, just by your
Being here, laughing, embracing, loving, an endless delight
Line: “I sing this song for your delight” from Humpty Dumpty’s Song by Lewis Carroll
(dedicated to Richard Brautigan)
he, she, you and I have given our all
think of the litany of animals that have stood by and watched
it’s never over till It’s over
I hope I meet you before the by and by
we have collected and collected and collected, and been mesmerized by machines.
if you must speak please make it in person not of
nothing beats loving
may your moments be filled and emptied by grace.
Everyone fears death
Only because of what the unknown is
The door to a room of which we know nothing
But once you enter the room, at
Last you’ll know it all
Death is nothing at all
By Henry Scott-Holland
So often, I wish I could weep.
It’s not as easy as it sounds, if
Broken, for so long, as I have been, you
Hold your pieces together, tightly, as if you must
To survive. Everyone is hurt by parting.
What if that was all there is?
What if there is no heaven or hell?
I found this poem on the back of a photo but
I didn’t know who wrote it, who’s life
Had been reflecting these words, so it goes.
We all end up carrying on and on
Regardless of our experiences, so,
As long as you have breath, sing,
As long as you sing, smile as well.
“Weep if you must, parting is hell, but life goes on so sing as well”. Joyce Grenfell. A nod to Kurt Vonnegut too with “So it goes”.
One thought sparked an idea, and excitement fanned the flame.
With love it expanded and became a dream no one could tame.
Evil tried to dash those hopes like the crashing of a wave.
But courage stepped in, pushing the heart to fight and be brave.
The heart won and with this strength, a new treasure unfurled.
A reward great and wonderful, to be a gift for the entire world.
I want to freeze time/. I know I don’t, can’t appreciate all of
the things my father does. he labors more than i know, he love’s
more than I know. somehow the man is so gentle yet he is austere
like ages past. sitting quietly he thinks and
watches the sun fade. I watch him and see everyman replaced by myself/. lonely
i will be. i cannot compare, comprehend, the strain. how can i honor his somber offices?
We looked so carefree and happy, and
No one was allowed to know that we were not.
We maintained the requisite image — laughing and waving.
No one saved us from the black waters underneath; but
We saved ourselves. And we are no longer drowning.
A Golden Shovel poem, based on the line “and not waving but drowning” from the Stevie Smith poem, “Not Waving But Drowning”.
*Volta — the turn at the end of the poem that marks a dramatic shift in tone
Original line from Robert Frost “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
Walking along this path did I
Many mental pictures I took
Of trees and flowers, animals and clouds the
Moment I picked a blossom, the world was minus one
Taking my time, I covered less
Ground that my feet had traveled
And so by and by
I came to a clearing and
To find my soul was full of that
Which has
In nature, not man made,
An inspiring influence of all
I left the shadows, sauntered into the
Sun, and my choice is how I made a difference.
You can tell by the petrichor in the air.
It gives off somewhat of a poignant odor,
Something which hasn’t graced our presence in
Quite some time.
But we don’t relegate ourselves to the indoors.
We’re better than that. Instead, we charge out there
And feel the full force of nature pounding our skin ,
Letting us know how inconsequential it can become.
We let it all seep in until it becomes part of us,
Until we can’t tell where the rain ends and we begin.
When all is said and done, we’ll cross the threshold once more
And let nature be the eyes we have since disregarded,
Staring profoundly out the window,
Always looking at everything but seeing nothing
