Legacy for Leonard

[lizzytysh]

Dear Mat ~

Your perceptions of people and life and their connections to all we have inside us and our destinies, fulfilled or unfulfilled, are always such a pleasure for me to read. Your very being is poetic.

I'm very moved by the story of your Uncle Bob, who tried to end his such clearly valuable life. Equally moving is the story of that battle, his [I understand rather typical reaction of guilt of survivors in any death-wielding situation, and so sorrowful that it is]; the phenomenal lack of survivors; Rommel's comments on them; and the amazing fact that you knew nothing of this, absent the Internet... a hero so humble in your private life. What an inspiration.

Great advice to give to Jiminy, as well.


Regards,
Lizzy

[Sherry]

Dear Jiminy,

I'm sorry I haven't been around for awhile. My job keeps
interfering with my personal life.

Thank you for the poem "White Flag." It was really beautiful.
I particularly like the imagery of the "arena of the stars" and
surrendering to love with a white flag of peace.

Best regards,
Sherry

[Sherry]

I have not yet posted any on my poems, so I thought
now would be as good a time as any. This one is an image
that came to me this morning and I could not get it out of
my head.

The Child

The child sat still
by the wayside
hugging his knees
in the hot sun
his clothing torn
his eyes forlorn
waiting
waiting
no sound pierced
the cloudless sky
no one approached
as passerby
he hugged his knees
more tightly now
a tear escaped
a silent cry
waiting
waiting
his ears still rang
from the night before
the screams, the shouts
as bullets tore
apart the lives
of those he loved
the father, the mother
he’d see no more
waiting
waiting

Sherry

[lizzytysh]

Dear Sherry ~

Your poem has a singular power that instantly put me in the streets of Iraq or any other war-torn area. Succinct and true. Even its physical structure replicates aloneness, as it stands solitary and narrow on the page, like a child's body. Simple words, none wasted, strong images... the repetition of the word waiting at the end signals the feelings of desolation that both he and this reader feel. Did a news report prompt its writing? I appreciate your double entendre of "as bullets tore / apart the lives" in every conceivable way.

Thank you so much for posting your tragically timely poem.


Love,
Lizzy

[Sherry]

Hi Lizzy,

Thanks for your comments. I think you summed up perfectly
exactly what I was trying to capture. I can't say it was inspired
by any specific news report, simply the multitude of news reports that
appear quite frequently with the images of children left orphaned
and homeless in many war torn areas of the middle east and
Africa. It was just a random thought that stayed with me while I
was walking to work.

What I find interesting is that now that I have written it down, it is
an image that will remain in my mind like a memory, whereas the things
we see on television often tend to fade away moments later.

Do you find the same with your writing?

Sherry

[lizzytysh]

What I find interesting is that now that I have written it down, it is
an image that will remain in my mind like a memory, whereas the things
we see on television often tend to fade away moments later.

Do you find the same with your writing?

That's a very interesting thought, Sherry. As I listen to the radio, my imagination does whatever it does with the word I hear. I guess what you did with yours fit mine, as well... as I now have a vivid picture in my mind, too, of that orphaned child. You're right how the images come and the images go, yet when you congeal it as you have, I now see a single child, one sitting alone by the side of the road... and it will last for me, too.

Thinking about how you 'physically' constructed your poem, another thing occurs to me and that's the way you used fairly simple words, in fairly brief phrases, quite similar to a child's less complex way of thinking and processing the world. Yet, within your words themselves, you convey the extreme complexities of what brought that child into this situation and how it has infinitely affected everything in what was, prior to today, his fairly simple life, and has now become a totally confusing and mired, new world for him... and he hasn't yet even realized that they're really gone or what he's waiting for... I like the juxtaposition.

Now... what I'd love it if you did is simply copy-and-paste your poem to a new thread, as it's deserving of its own. Your choice, of course, but I sure would be a happyone if you did.

I really find it difficult to answer your question regarding my own writing because I don't write poetry. On a generous level, I may have written a max of 10 poems in my life! Then, whose to say if any of them actually qualify as a poem ~ I guess it's why I love so much reading others' poetry.


Love,
Lizzy

[Sherry]

Lizzy,

Your wish is my command. I shall post it to its own thread.

You are much better at analyzing poetry (even my own) than
I am. I merely write what I see (internally or externally) and feel.
I think my style is very much influenced by much of LC's poetry. And
Robert Frost. And many other excellent poets (of which I don't
consider myself to be one).

I try to follow the maxim when writing that less is more.

Besides, I don't know any big words!

The only really conscious editorial choice I made in this poem was to not
change "by the wayside" to "by the roadside" which I had briefly
considered doing. But then I looked up "wayside" in the dictionary
and found that "by the wayside" has connotations of being thrown
away or discarded, so I decided to keep it in.

You write so eloquently that I'm sure your poetry would be
very lyrical if you choose to let it flow.

Sherry

[lizzytysh]

Dear Sherry ~

I'll wait til you do that before I comment then ~ and thanks !!


~ Lizzy

Sherrrrryyyyyy ~ Your turn... if you'll bring your response to my response over to your new apartment, I'll continue bringing in the other suitcases .

[JiminyC]

i-love-the-love-here!-Sherry-beautiful-poetry,-it-does-not-skip-a-beat,-powerful-and-emotive,-thank-you-so-much-for-sharing-it.-I-was-so-impressed-i've-responded-without-replacing-this-keyboard-which-has-totally-gone-Cactus-on-me,-although-I-will-have-to-do-so-lest-i-am-prepared-to-fully-embrace-my-ludite-ways.

Mat,-thanks-for-the-story-of-Bob,-he-sounds-like-a-definitive-of-the-power-of-good-will-and-friendship-that-makes-AA-such-a-wonderful-organistation-and-thanks-for-reminding-me-of-that.

Woody,-thank-you,-Blank-page-has-always-been-a-favourite!

Adam,-where-for-art-though-and-your-wonderful-contributions?-I-hop-you-are-travelling-well.

Keyboardsdefinitelyneedspacebarsitistrue.

peacenlove!
Jim

[lizzytysh]

Oh, dear, Jiminy... your posting is so funny... well, not to you just trying to do a simple posting, but to me, looking at the finished results...

I don't mean to laugh at you, so I hope you're laughing, too, or will be soon...


~ Lizzy

[Sherry]

Jim,

Your reply really moved me. Thank you for going to such obvious
pains - and - what a creative solution to such a prickly problem!

I look forward to sharing more of my work and reading more of
yours as well.

Take care,
Sherry

[lizzytysh]

" . . . gone Cactus . . . " Learned a new phrase, too, Jiminy. Thanks! Never heard it before, but it sure makes itself prickly clear. Yes, Sherry's right... very innovative solution.

Forgot to say that I enjoyed your comments to Sherry and Mat, too... one word after the other.


~ Lizzy

[JiminyC]

If you only knew how easy it would of been to go and fetch the other keyboard at the other end of the house you wouldn't be applauding my resourcefulness at all, thank you none the less and Lizzy I am very pleased you found joy from my nonsense once again.

The problem is none the less all fixed and now I must consider writing a piece for the forum, so I shall see you all again soon no doubt. Sherry I look forward to reading more of your writing.
Toodle pip.