Happy Birthday
Poem To You
Poetry is, of course,
highly personal in many cases, and, so it should
be. Thankfully there's still something out
there where people aren't scared to be honest
and make themselves a bit vulnerable. Really,
I feel a dangerous digression coming on, but,
you know, sometimes it gets disturbing when
I think about how much some people are just
out to protect themselves. Well, I encourage
you to take your armor off once in a while,
but, as I always say, what do I know anyway?
Seriously, though, giving
a loved one a poem for a birthday is pretty
deep. You can write the poem right on the card,
and, you know, I'm not suggesting that this
is a substitute for a gift! Our loved ones
still love receiving iPods and cell phones
and HP PDAs (hint, hint : ) ). But, the birthday
poem can really communicate your deeper feelings,
and I encourage everyone to give it a try.
Consistent with my general artistic philosophy,
if you've read any of my work, you'll know
that I don't think having talent is the most
important thing, anyway, when it comes to artistic
creation. I say, "The process is its own reward."
So, in other words, make paintings or write
birthday poems or funny poems or even lousy
love poems because the process of creating
the piece is so enjoyable.. just like the reason
you go for a bike ride or swim across the river...
okay, moving right along to the birthday poems.
Let's start off with one
by Ted Kooser. What I like about this poem
is its subtly. We can obviously see that Mr.
Kooser titled it A Birthday Poem;
yet, in the piece, he's not hitting you over
the head with a birthday cake, and that's a
good thing! : )
A Birthday Poem
Just past dawn,
the sun stands
with its heavy red head
in a black stanchion of trees,
waiting for someone to come
with his bucket
for the foamy white light,
and then a long day in the pasture.
I too spend my days grazing,
feasting on every green moment
till darkness calls,
and with the others
I walk away into the night,
swinging the little tin bell
of my name.
Ted Kooser
Okay, you
can click the link to see more
of Mr. Kooser's work. All right,
now to my birthday poems for
two special ladies (one of whom
is a bit older than the other!
:) ) So, this first one's for...hang
on, I've got to find the paper.
I was writing it out last night,
and, at the moment, there's papers
everywhere along with empty bottles
of S. Pellegrino (don't want
to lose the blog feel = insert
plenty of trivial details no
one is interested in; and, yet,
the blogger seems to assume people
are, which, in my view, gets
to the heart of the humor of
so many blogs, ie. unintentional!)
okay, just a second..
Okay, this first one's for Lenpa.
Birthday
Haiku
Yesterday's
yellow
She's saved my life a few times
Dream with the candles
Okay, this
next one's for my daughter, who's
turning two. I wrote this one
a few months back, and I was
trying to write something new,
but, I couldn't write anything
which I liked more than this
poem, which is one of my favorites
of the thousands I've written
over the past 16 years.
Sky Threatening
Gray gradients
Behind cauliflower
Blotches strutting
The gray plate
Gyrating--
And orange-lime
Limes and oranges
Tree line jags
Somebody's hill
And tree line
Behind tree line
Infinity (the rain
will sound like
a train)
Saying infinity
Towards thingdom
Of heavens
As little oil's
Spots appear
My feet
Walking how
My crease's
Shoulders not
Being wet.
All my everything
Efforts amount
Oil puddle
About horrendous
Failure except, you,
Little rose--
I am magical
Enough for
Raindrop walking?
Copyright Kemal Faruquee
2005
Happy
birthday little one. love,
daddy. 11/12/2005
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