How have I begotten these? I have no fluidity of words, no craft, no skill in shaping things. Yet all these, my moody children are – vying for your attention. I gave birth to them - in pain and anguish and ardent wonderment of words. I sent them forth upon the world, some too young, and some too old. While some of them will come back to me rejected, here to stay, forgotten, filed away; others still will roam free, and learn to live in other minds. And then a phrase or image bearing fruit will bless them in the remembering. All these, my petulant children are – intrusive thoughts run amuck upon the page. Images of madness and reconciled memories collected and given cohesion by the indifferent glue of words. And yet the sum of them far exceeds intended meaning, and opens floodgates in another’s soul I had not hoped for or suspected when I gave birth to these, my mangled thoughts on folio. When I was young, green - naïve - I tried my hand at writing verse and only managed mediocrities. And yet somehow - as if mistake was made - a pearl or two tumbled out, and rolled away, abandoned much too easily. All these now, in my sixth decade my aesthetic children are – and while few are polished, mature or equal to my mentors’ work, yet I am satisfied to share with you - for what a difference a bit of wisdom makes, and the cascading overflow of years. James Gagiikwe © 2008 |
Author notes
Robert Frost is another "mentor"
Comments
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A marvelous delight, J.G., this ode to the poet's children: words and more words, "glue"d together by even more words, building and growing into petulant and aesthetic children, but sparking, on occasion, lights "in another's soul..."
The poem gets down to the reasons, the emotional reasons, for doing what we do when we sweat over our syllables and vowels, hoping they add up to a meaning. Well, this one adds up plenty for me. I believe you know what you're doing when writing a poem, an increasingly rare skill these days.
In addition, the poem nicely manages to image the poet himself in his "sixth decade", and his "bit of wisdom" makes the whole thing work with graceful flow and honesty. Immensely appealing, J.G. Bravo - and I don't use that word often.
With admiration,
Lad
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