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THE DIRTY PLAYGROUND
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JOURNAL #29 it must have been
in the feeling of peeling
back the personality
when a calmness that moved outward
from the inside
gave in
it must have been
between the climb of creativity
and the thaw of originality
that pride bowed to dignity's whim
only that is when
I saw today through the hijacked hindsight
of tomorrow's omnipotent wind
and longed more
and even more so
to pen
the thoughts of those inhabitants of forever
to better offer the broadest possible canvas
to the limited life revealed
in such great complex flaw
with the physical blend
living is a reward worn well
upon the ever gracious acting soul
so one must ever treasure
the abundant possibilities
lain out before us
but do so carefully examine and critique
those found flanked in formidable sin
Melissa
(Jan 10.2004 315am)
In over thirty years of reading poetry, this is one of the most impressive poems about being a poet that I have ever read. I wish it had been available to me back in Autumn of 75, when the thought that I could be poet first went off in my mind, and in 76 when I began making my first tentative (and very lame) attempts. This poem would have been very helpful. In fact, I can truly say that this is the poem every young poet should read and study for what it says about becoming a poet. And, I freely admit, I could not write this well when I was your age.
Starward