You should be careful
by Connie Carmichael
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
for some will live in silent desperation
always waiting for someone else’s dream
and you make yourself invisible
when they are never what they seem.
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
when the bone collector tells his story
and every space is filled with fear
for you will never find the bottom
or a pathway that is clear.
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
for there is no shelter where you're standing
and the storms are blowing near,
can you give without expectations
and just let the angels appear.
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
for some will live in silent desperation
always waiting for someone else’s dream
and you make yourself invisible
when they are never what they seem.
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
when the bone collector tells his story
and every space is filled with fear
for you will never find the bottom
or a pathway that is clear.
You should be careful,
he whispered into her ear,
for there is no shelter where you're standing
and the storms are blowing near,
can you give without expectations
and just let the angels appear.
posted by M. | 8:27 AM
4 Comments:
I have trouble reading poetry. I always try to find meaning in it, and always wonder what the persona who wrote it meant.
It's like tossing the I- Ching or tarot cards; what does this mean for my case?
For my case, this poem would mean I should be careful not to place my being behind somebody else- either their being or their persona, because I'll wind up on my death bed knowiing that I never had expressed myself fully while I was here, but through somebody else. Kind of like I didn't fulfill my own pufpose.
There would be lots more but I am not writin' a novel here; just creating a point of departure for any conversation that might arise.
It is quite sad that poetry has lost the popular appeal it once had. These days, the ability to read and appreciate poetry has virtually passed out of popular culture, replaced by mindless pop-song lyrics and the nonsense language of hip-hop. (I'm sorry, but I am not one of those literature teachers who believes rap should be placed alongside Emily Dickinson and Shakespeare.)
For the most part, I think the reason people shy away from poetry is that it challenges the mind in ways that most people, trained as passive drones by television, cannot accept. As well, average males these days consider an interest in poetry to be effeminate. This is, of course, ridiculous. If manhood depends upon avoiding poetry, then I am not a man. I have studied and enjoyed poetry all of my life and have lived a better life for it.
But I do not confuse my own interests with those of ORL readers, some of whom may even object to the site or mention of poetry. Having said that, ORL will publish poetry from time to time for those readers who are up to the task of reading it. I have had the pleasure of reading some of Connie Carmichael's other work and find it quite interesting and beautiful. It is my hope that she and other local poets will submit their work for publication on this site.
I was fortunate to have a father who always read poetry to his kids. We grew up on Longfellow, Kipling, Whitman, Dickinson and many others. I feel like I was blessed to have had that in my life and I appreciate it now more than ever.
C.C.
I think the first person to post here said they try poetry but don't always get it. That's often the problem. Rap isn't "gotten" by many people just like most of the poets of the Harlem Rennaissance weren't and others (just like in rap) who weren't great were lauded.
There's no reason not to spell it out if you like the poems and fiction written here. If you really "get it" then tell us why we should.
With many lovers of poetry, Dickinson wouldn't be able to be placed beside Shakespeare.
Most of us like poetry when we understand it. If it's too personal to the poet, we may not. If it has little form, we may not.
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