The Front Fence Gate Poem by Lynn W. Petty
The Front Fence Gate
I wonder if a front fence gate reveals
The attitude of he who dwells therein,
Or is it just a pretense that conceals
The inner truth of tendency within?
Remembering when I was young, I'd go
From home to school, return the self same way
At school's day end, so many years ago.
I recognized each gate as my display,
a measured distance from my house to 'there.'
But, through that recognition, they took on
A character, a quality, an air,
A personality, a face upon
A blank and seemingly benign fence gate.
Through childhood fantasy, as I would walk
The curbless road to home, or navigate
Around or through the puddles, gates would talk
To me in silent comprehension. They
Coveyed a warmth or warning with their style.
That wrought iron gate with bars like pikes would say,
With deep foreboding frowns and shadowed smile,
The countenance of Satan, its design,
'Beware, for reasons of your soul's despair! '
I saw his face, too shaded to define,
But certain of that awful grin, from where
I stood, while peeking through those iron gray bars.
I saw the visage of our hamlet's rich
Old recluse, Thaddeus Von Eldergars.
My heart would skip a beat; migrating twitch
of trepidation coursed my spine and burst
upon my brain, exploding energy
To churn my legs to motion. I was cursed,
I knew, by Beelzebub. All lethargy
Had disappeared as speed was my intent.
I passed all other gates without address,
As reach and range was more expedient.
And then, my gate, a visual caress
That cleared the fear from my fear-clouded sight.
I ran beneath the arch-like trellis dome,
And threw the latch and bolt. Displacing fright,
I felt a surge of valor, I was home.
But, what about the question first above
As asked? Are gates symbolic of the man,
Or was our Thaddeus a creature of
Our mind? Did life collapse upon his plan?
Was avarice his only enterprise?
When I became adult I sought to solve
The question of his being; analyze,
Examine all I found that might involve
A man whose cynicism knew no bounds.
At his demise, I purchased, sight unseen,
His personal estate, which still dumbfounds,
Bewilders those so eager to demean.
For what I had astonished me. In awe
I read his soulful journal with a sad
and mournful heart. Not wishing to withdraw
But, living made it so, his loss forbade
His interest when his grief replaced his wife.
Maintaining social consciousness, aware
Of fiscal maintenance, our hamlet's strife,
He formed a special banker's trust to care
For children who excelled to higher grades;
To further their desires, foster their
Careers. His generosity pervades
The very substance of our village life.
Even I, a beneficiary.
Meticulous, his register was rife
With names of those he helped. Legionary
By their count; anonymously done from
Behind that dark and ominous front gate.
Within his will he spoke an axiom,
A covenant, bequeathing his estate
To those who would appreciate his best.
To all the children he bestowed his ground,
His property, for which he made behest
upon the elders of this town. He bound
them to a promise that they raze his old
Brick house, eradicating memories
Too doleful to exist. 'This land, ' he told
Them from his will, 'Must have amenities
That cause the laughter, joy and, cheer that spring
From children hard at play. This acreage will
Become a park, a playground, garlanding
The name of my demised young wife, Joanille.'
Before the razing of the premises,
I moved the gate, installed it for my own.
In place, it hardly looked the nemesis
That I remember when so young. Unknown
To those who walk the walkway to my door,
It is a gate without identity.
To him, a camouflage, that heretofore
gave cover to his liberality.
To me, a screen to hide the soul of truth;
A veil of iron to cloak his silent grace;
To guard an altruist, who lived without a face.
An awesome interesting poem as to rhyming and content. As children we had unreasonable fears yes it reminds of my childhood monsters. The poem seems to give the moral of not judging a book by its cover. Kudos. U r most welcome to comment under my latest poem too titled, 'pay a visit to a riverbank, pls do
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/28/2024 3:38:46 AM # 1.0.0.1119
my mate and i were just commenting on the day's strong wind blowing our heavy wooden gate open! favorite lines: I saw his face, too shaded to define, But certain of that awful grin, from where I stood, while peeking through those iron gray bars. and, soon enough, these: migrating twitch of trepidation coursed my spine and burst upon my brain, exploding energy To churn my legs to motion. I was cursed, ================================================ let's Google Thaddeus: Thaddeus (Greek Θαδδαῖος, Thaddaios, from Aramaic תדי, Taddai / Aday) is a male given name. It means a heart or courageous heart.[3][4][5] As of the 1990 Census, 'Thaddeus' was the 611th most popular male name in the United States, while 'Thad', its diminutive version, was the 846th most popular.[6] AND Jude the Apostle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia St. Jude redirects here. For other uses, see St. Jude (disambiguation) . For Thaddeus of Edessa also known as Adai Mar Addai, see Thaddeus of Edessa. Saint Jude the Apostle Anthonis van Dyck 088.jpg Apostle Jude by Anthony van Dyck Apostle and Martyr Born 1st century AD Galilee, Judaea, Roman Empire Died 1st century AD Persia[1] Venerated in Eastern Orthodox Churches, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Church of the East, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Aglipayan Church Islam Canonized Pre-Congregation Major shrine Saint Peter's, Rome, Reims, Toulouse, France Feast October 28 (Western Christianity) June 19 (Eastern Christianity) [2] Attributes Axe, club, boat, oar, medallion Patronage Armenia; lost causes; desperate situations; hospitals; St. Petersburg, Florida; Cotta; [3] the Chicago Police Department; Clube de Regatas do Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lucena, Quezon, Sibalom, Antique, and Trece Mártires, Cavite, the Philippines; and Sinajana in Guam Jude, also known as Judas Thaddaeus, [4] was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is sometimes identified with Jude, the brother of Jesus, but is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus prior to his crucifixion. ============================================== so, which Thaddeus do you refer to in the poem? the first or second, above? OR perhaps.............. considering the definition of AVARICE: Search Results av·a·rice ˈavərəs/ noun noun: avarice extreme greed for wealth or material gain. synonyms: greed, greediness, acquisitiveness, cupidity, covetousness, rapacity, materialism, mercenariness; More rare pleonexia; informal money-grubbing, affluenza the job had become less about integrity and more about avarice antonyms: generosity Origin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ...............you meant Judas Iscariot? ? ? but, i don't think you would get them mixed up, seeing as you WERE one of 'the twelve' yourself! right? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - is this another of your fantastic true stories, Lynn? ? ? ? ? these lines: Not wishing to withdraw But, living made it so, his loss forbade His interest when his grief replaced his wife. ...........threw me a bit with the wording, but believe i have the gist of it. and these lines also threw me a bit: Within his will he spoke an axiom, A covenant, bequeathing his estate To those who would appreciate his best. ...............his what? i 'had to' check on meaning of behest. cool. =================================================== and demise; i'd heard it used to mean a death, but not the LAW usage. Search Results de·mise dəˈmīz/ noun noun: demise 1. a person's death. Mr. Grisenthwaite's tragic demise synonyms: death, dying, passing, loss of life, end, quietus; More formal decease; archaic expiry her tragic demise antonyms: birth the end or failure of an enterprise or institution. the demise of industry synonyms: end, breakup, disintegration, fall, downfall, collapse the demise of the Ottoman empire antonyms: start 2. Law conveyance or transfer of property or a title by demising. verb Law verb: demise; 3rd person present: demises; past tense: demised; past participle: demised; gerund or present participle: demising 1. convey or grant (an estate) by will or lease. transmit (a sovereign's title) by death or abdication. Origin late Middle English (as a legal term) : from Anglo-Norman French, past participle (used as a noun) of Old French desmettre ‘dismiss, ’ (in reflexive) ‘abdicate, ’ based on Latin dimittere (see dismiss) . Translate demise to Use over time for: demise ================================== more favorite lines (especially for 'grace/face') : To him, a camouflage, that heretofore gave cover to his liberality. To me, a screen to hide the soul of truth; A veil of iron to cloak his silent grace; To guard an altruist, who lived without a face. to MyPoemList. and i may ask for it for a showcase soon. now it is time for a shower.........for me! and NOT BECAUSE of your poem! ! bri :) good day to you, sir! ! :)