I knew a man who died of cancer.
I stayed by his side at hospice.
He gave me a poem,
wavy lines on a scrap of paper,
no one could read.
He asked me to take care of his wife,
for she could not take care of herself.
Today’s (optional) prompt from NaPoWriMo's Maureen Thorson is inspired by poet Betsy Sholl. Maureen "asks you to write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question." Whew. I needed to read Betsy Sholl's poem first, but that link was broken!
I used to be a banker, sitting
with other account officers
behind massive mahogany desks;
our customers held
a minimum of one million in deposits,
until the numbers blurred,
and I ran away with you.
We stood in line for four hours
at the San Francisco Art Institute
to see a special exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh.
We came to a complete stop
in front of 'Starry, Starry Night"
and I began to cry.
Why is an ordinary life,
Why is an ordinary life,
an extraordinary life
so hard to understand?
Your post today left me breathless. I have heard the song before, such beauty, such TRUTH. This was powerful, especially when partnerd with Van Gogh's paintings. So moving! Thank you! I don't know if I can answer your last question except to say, it seems to be our nature to be uncomfortable with those who are different than us. I've never understood the need of most to be a lemming. Your poem is POWERFUL! It is rewarding to open your heart to "different."
ReplyDeleteHere I am again, it was your poem that left me breathless.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandy. This poetry prompt was really hard to write and took me close to emotions about real experiences. Thank you again for reading, commenting, and, above all, appreciating!
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