The Aspiring Bard

Dreamer! Dreamer! Head held high And blue eyes staring Into a foreign sky. Your feet are dancing On some faery shore, And your fancy treads The paths of old lore.  Lost in your dreams, Your own private place, While the thoughts of your mind Chase over your face. Will you come back To lead me along The magical roads Of legend and song?

What is the tune that the wind sings low? What means the whisper of falling snow? What is concealed by that cloud-streaked sky? What secret things am I passing by? What secret things will I pass each day. Without even pausing on my way? What are the things that I'll never know, The secrets hid by new-fallen snow?

My dear friends Have worn old faces, Wrinkled up and lined in places. Some are stained, Grimed dark with age, While faded words run page to page. Legends old, And bits of lore, Like shadows shifting on the floor, Dance to life On yellowed pages, Sung by bards, writ down by sages. Some old pen Of  long-ago Etched a story's ebb and flow, And left it Written here for me Preserved so long and faithfully. Through the years, Defying Time, To keep for me some thought or rhyme.

Well, I recently re-read some of the poetry I wrote back at the beginning of this blog. Yuck! I had serious thoughts of deleting it. But I decided to keep it on here, because the next time I get discouraged about never being able to improve my writing, I will be able to compare the past with the present. There is some  very marked improvement documented here! At least, I think so. ;-)

Well, this one's still a bit ragged 'round the edges. But I'm not quite sure how I should fix it up. Hmm... I looked around, but I knew no one there My timid smile was met by blankest stare. Uprooted, and utterly alone That chill thought struck me deeply to the bone. Among strangers who did  not know or care, With rituals in which I could not share, I began to slowly draw away The edges of my smile began to fray. I took one last, despairing look around Before my gaze was fastened to the ground. I met with the welcome of your eyes And my heart filled with gladdening surprise. I saw in you a sympathetic soul, Who recognized the ragged, gaping hole Throbbing in my newly displaced heart. My hopeless struggle to make a fresh start. Two glances met, we briefly shared a smile, The first I'd met with in a weary while. Transplanted, but not so much alone, My heart put out a root into the stone.