This week, Poets and Storytellers United has as its theme: “Starting Over (Again and Again)”. It reminds me of a proverb I first heard from my grandfather, which said: “If you realise you’re on the wrong road, don’t mind how far down it you’ve gone, go back to the fork to find the right road and start walking on that again.” Here is my poem on that theme:
Awakening
Awaken, awaken,
Seize the day!
Seize the day!
The long black night ends, at last
And I can banish all that’s past;
The new bright morning breaks gently
While my heart beats all the more intently…
And I can banish all that’s past;
The new bright morning breaks gently
While my heart beats all the more intently…
Breaking free from chains of sorrow
I can look now at my tomorrow;
Awake, fly to heaven, oh my soul,
Escape from yesterday’s black hole.
I can look now at my tomorrow;
Awake, fly to heaven, oh my soul,
Escape from yesterday’s black hole.
Today, I have a chance at happiness again
My heart beats free, no longer in pain.
My arms are loosed from bonds and ties
Ready to stretch, to reach new highs.
My heart beats free, no longer in pain.
My arms are loosed from bonds and ties
Ready to stretch, to reach new highs.
Escaping from the prison dark,
I venture out, walking in the park;
The trees, the breeze, and golden sun
Are mine again, life’s just begun.
I venture out, walking in the park;
The trees, the breeze, and golden sun
Are mine again, life’s just begun.
The sky’s fresh painted a happy blue;
I’m ready now to see the world anew,
My eyes wide open, bright and grateful,
Seeing nothing evil, bitter or hateful.
I’m ready now to see the world anew,
My eyes wide open, bright and grateful,
Seeing nothing evil, bitter or hateful.
Today, I have a chance at happiness again
My heart beats free, no longer in pain.
My arms are loosed from bonds and ties
Ready to stretch, to reach new highs.
My heart beats free, no longer in pain.
My arms are loosed from bonds and ties
Ready to stretch, to reach new highs.
Awaken, awaken
Seize the day!
Seize the day!
And once again, here’s the poem set to music and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.
A walk in the park, or anywhere, really, makes a day brighter, loosens the ol' body!! thanks for the reminder I need to get out and move!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yvonne.
DeleteAh, some kinds of starting over again and again are very good to do!
ReplyDeleteMight I be very cheeky and suggest, for the sake of your rhyme scheme, an alteration to verse 6 as follows?
The sky’s fresh painted a happy blue;
I’m ready to look at the world anew,
My eyes wide open, bright and grateful,
Seeing nothing evil, bitter or hateful.
With a few little tweaks to the metre accordingly.
I hope you don't mind! I greatly admire your skill with rhyming and it seemed a shame to have it be inexact in this instance. (But when writing to a prompt, with limited time available, we sometimes miss all the possibilities until later.)
Thank you, Rosemary for your constructive and useful criticism - that's what friends are for! I've modified the stanza.
DeleteYour joy is contagious ! Long may it last. Like the rhyming couplets and the music.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rall!
DeleteEvery day really is a new beginning.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we realise this and take advantage of it!
DeleteI read this as suicide and a better life in Heaven. A pill suicide readiness was the theme of my other blog that hasn't been started again after my July 2024 surgery. It's purpose was practice writing a dark poe.
ReplyDeleteThat's a different and interesting interpretation, Jim, which was not in my mind when I wrote this poem. No doubt, your own personal experience influenced this. I hope you are well and happy now after your surgery.
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