April 2018
I've always loved poetry and when I was 16 I had a teacher who loved it too. She gave me lots of encouragement, exclusively in literary appreciation rather than writing. I've written poems sporadically all my life, for a long time just for my own enjoyment or as gifts for my wife. Finally I began writing in earnest and some years later looked for opportunities to publish. This led me to this village, of which I have loved being a member. I blog at windofflowers.blogspot.com.au
Searching for Gold.
I dip my pen into the stream
to see what will unfold,
swirl and sluice upon the page
seeking for that glimpse of gold.
I have seen the shining glory
that some old miners found,
drawn from darkly rippling water
or gouged from littered ground.
Now I dip into the mystery
flowing by the riverside,
seeking in the moving stream
for where the gold resides
and eagerly bending to the task,
desire just this small part:
that the treasure which I seek sings
of truth, beauty and the heart.
Gifts.
I give to you these trifling things,
light from life, love and age,
diverse experiences distilled
and patterned upon the page.
Are they only wisps of breath?
Distillations of the chest?
Essence of love, joy, hope or pain
dripping forth before I rest?
Are they lighter than thistledown?
Little more than seeming?
Are they the heart’s desire to search
for beauty and for meaning?
Some build tall towers or bridges.
My desire is just to sing.
Can you love these gifts I offer?
Or are they merely trifling things?
© 2018 Neil Creighton
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