Monday, March 28, 2011

A Poem inside a Story

I composed this free-write over at Write with Pictures... (enjoy!)

Strolling through the park, I again looked up at the statue and smiled. There will never be a monument in a park for me, but I never wanted one. I sat down on a bench and composed a poem. 

Sitting on a Bench at the feet of Greatness?

I've walked the path marked out for me for well nigh 40 years.

I've seen joys and I've seen sorrows.
I've held babies and I've held my breath.

Passers by don't look up to me,
but my kids do.
My name is not famous in the town,
but my students and colleagues love me.

I've not been instrumental in local history,
but I've been instrumental in a few lives.

I didn't die on a battlefield of glory,
no, I've lived in the trenches of life.

And one of my rewards is this...
I sit on a bench composing verse
until...
I stand and continue on...
walking the path marked out for me.

7 comments:

  1. Don these are great thoughts, and the course of the poem really carries well what you say. This is on my Facebook page as of now. I know people will get a lot out of your poem.

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  2. @Dennis: I'm glad you enjoyed the poem, enough to pass it on. You, like the man in the poem, live in the trenches... on the path marked out for you. ;-)

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  3. Bravo Don! I love it :) Thanks for sharing your talent and insight over at Write With Pictures.

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  4. Nice job Don. Life is not for wimps, and just showing up day after day (in the trenches!) is sort of heroic, I've always thought. We can't all be thought of as "great" in the eyes of the world, but if one person looks up to us, that makes it all worthwhile in my estimation. Keep on doing what you do.

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  5. @September: It's my pleasure (and thanks.)

    @Deedee: Thanks for your comment and for stopping by. I agree with your assessments, and you keep keeping on too! ;-)

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  6. I love this line:

    I've not been instrumental in local history,
    but I've been instrumental in a few lives.

    What a perspective of influence. Thanks for sharing this, Don! I can definitely identify with these sentiments.

    Hope you are well!

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  7. @Chase: Yeah, you and I like minded time travelers. Aiming to be journeymen on the journey to the Destination... aka... the Commencement. All's well here. I trust the same for you. ;-)

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