Great Expectations! Poem by Denis Martindale

Why should we restrict ourselves
to the limitations of personal feelings
and how to share these,
as if anybody cares about us as much as we do?
Even when we write for ourselves alone
that does not mean we go over the top
when we fall in love or out of love.
We are explorers in search of answers
and even better answers.
Being in a numbed state
and not even knowing how we feel
is merely temporary.
So we can write about it later
rather than now,
perhaps with insight based on hindsight.

Few of us get motivated when we are in perfect peace
or out of our minds with worry.
Writers focus on each thought that turns up.
We write what we can based on each moment.
We twist and turn a diamond
and see its changing facets sparkling one at a time
rather than all at once.
So what you see is not what I see,
even if I should stand right next to you.
A poem could appear if we split the created phrases
to get these placed here and there onto separate lines.
We can create new verses of rhyming poetry
or use modern prose conversations for our readers.
We may only please ourselves with such results,
yet we all need to start somewhere.

We may experience setbacks or give up writing for a while,
but what if we return with better skills than before?
Poetry sure helps a lot of people.
Think about the poems that become songs and hymns of praise.
Yes, each of us has such a lot to be thankful for!
If merely expanding on the legacies of writers and poets,
why not continue to make the effort,
put the work in, and aim towards a measure of success?
Think about it.
Great expectations spur us on!
They always have. They always will.


Denis Martindale, for the 7th of January 2024.