I saw a thousand tears, roll off frustration
In my youth I was a rebel,
Canvas shoe worn out,
On day trading, testify
Made beautiful birds
With angelic voices, cry the heavens,
Till it rained no more,
That was in my youth
In my youth
I never looked back
I understood not emotions,
What a bore, Doreen
Oh why do women cry, like open tap
In my youth I blew off
Many a candle light,
And stole many in tears
Stepping on delicate pearls
And left the night, on fortune lust
Like a cow boy on tip toe
To ride the night down south,
Mama told me
Not to be like that
In my youth I lived for the thrill
And felt the excitement
Until I found, my heart stolen
To be brought alive, overwhelmed
Shining new light, into old days,
Emotions, I found a fortune
And so I became a man
And left my youthful ways, behind
If you catch me relapsing
Just tell me a story about my youth
without tears rolling off frustrations at youth, you will be no you and will not be where you are.
ReplyDeletebeautiful portrayal of your youth and growth.
Well done!
That last stanza is the ideal conclusion for this prose poem. Great story-telling piece with a bit of moral at the end.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great piece, Kodjo. Personal, emotional, even historical. A nice read!
ReplyDeleteI adore this. so lovely.
ReplyDeleteLoved this one, Kodjo. Such a good portrayal of youth, and then the growth and awareness of maturity. Well done.
ReplyDeleteKodjo,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your poem, which has a wonderful sincerity and heart cleansing feel.
Nice to look back and to see how we move on in our lives.
Best wishes, Eileen
I like how you use plain language in a very delicate way.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it immensely, beautifully worded...
ReplyDeletewell written reminiscence
ReplyDeleteI loved the imagery and your honesty. You learned and grew up; beautiful and delicate~
ReplyDeleteI really like the growth pain in it. The way we try to suppress them with balms of not feeling emotion. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteLike the theme of growth, some really good ideas in some stanzas
ReplyDeleteYoung men often "step on delicate pearls," as is their wont. The young men are not the only ones who learn from this though - we pearls learn a lot, too! No regrets, babe! Thanks, Amy
ReplyDeletehttp://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/precipice/
Hello Kodjo.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fine portrayal of the growth from immaturity in youth to maturity in adulthood...from young and reckless to mature and responsible.
The ending sealed it for me.
Very well done and congratulations on being featured for Blog of the Week!
Enjoyed this, especially those last two lines - well said! And the "Mama told me" stanza - the difference between what we know and what we do.
ReplyDeleteRichard