Buy a child's red-covered
'My Exercise Book'
like the one you bought
all those years ago
to build a bridge -
now you realise -
a warm reassuring bridge
between school and home
with its firm hand-rail
at both ends;
the river flowing so fast,
so powerful,
so beautiful
between those different banks
in the blank pages
of that book with its reassuring tables
on the back cover which speak of laws
which you may never read
then with the sharpened pencil
and the smell of cedar flakes
faling from the pencil-sharpener
sweet and haunting to your nose
and breathing heavier now
in this exciting, daunting task,
your head nearer the paper
than old schoolteachers would approve
and pencil gripped as firmly
as you would your life
write so carefully on the first white page
as if the beginning holds the whole story
intended but as yet unfurled,
'My Life'..
Every word of this takes me right back to my childhood - even that 'death grip' that I would have on my pencil and the excitement of a brand new, clean, bright red notebook....how well you describe that time.
I enjoy the images and sniffing the 'cedar flakes' of this piece. Nice work, Michael. Thanks. L
Mighty impressive poem! A fine read....i like the whole descriptive invovled therein. Preets
a beautiful picture you have painted...especially the one about the child 's head being so close to the page...lovely read...love...nalini
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Thanks for the reminiced moments. Yes, when life is full of hope and everything looks simple... Enjoyed.