Old Poet

[jim turner]

Rainstorms scratch at his window,
feeling for cracks–
the thinnest wide enough
One will find a way.

Why does he bother,
on his notebook’s final page,
with vowels, verbs, rhymes?
His yellow pencil’s dulled stub,
too short to sharpen one more time.

Did he not see the flame
of his last candle tremble and fail?
Feel the stinging, tendriled wraith
of smoke searching in darkness?

Listen! In the shadows
still he whispers of visions
behind his shuttered eyes.

Will they never pass, those storms,
never cease, that rain, falling
on the flooded river of his words?

Jim 12/31/10 (Last effort of the Year 2010. Best wishes to all for the next.)

[saw]

the desire to create gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning as we age

sure beats watching tv......and who knows maybe we touch a few souls along the way.....old poets never die, they end with that killer line that puts it all in perspective.......happy new year, jim

[dadio]

Well composed poem, Jim.

[joel]

How’d you finish, Saint Jerome?
How’d you scribble Iesu as
Revelation’s final word?
Wasn’t it your final breath

like a missing epilogue,
like the knowledge of an end—
like a book you’ve loved and lost
when its final page is turned?

Were there strong winds blowing then
overtop your little cave
with the whistles and the sounds
of “Soon your work is over”—

were there raindrops flooding in
through the cracks around your stool—
were you baptized by the Love
of vowels, verbs and rhymeschemes?

[Hollweg]

Killer line that puts it all in perspective, indeed.

[Steve Plonk]

Turner, It's a good poem... I see melancholy reflections of Poe in here, as well as
reminders of why we write...

[still.trucking]

difficult to find the words to express how I found your poem
But the ones that comes to mind is: A Satisfying poetry experience

yours too joel

[judih]

some sit there and smile
others write it down
fifty-fifty

[joel]

some sit there and smile
others write it down
fifty-fifty

half the sky: migrating geese--
resident ducks, sky's remainder--
water receives a single flock

[stilltrucking]

sorry about the double post Mr Turner.

I loved this bit

were there raindrops flooding in
through the cracks around your stool—
were you baptized by the Love
of vowels, verbs and rhymeschemes? [/i]

[edsiejka]

Hey Jim-


Excellent poem...your words paint a vivid picture

regards,

ed

[mnaz]

one of them gets in, eventually
going through the endless storms
or maybe i hadn't noticed the lulls
i wish i could write such poetry!
either way, thank you

when i think of all the yet
unwritten pages, a little daunting
wish i could write them all..

[WIREMAN]

...i've found my way outta of many holes at the end of a pen, letting the ink flow onto the spiral pad....i too feel poe here......