The chicken or the egg

"Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
I asked as a child, with wonder so bright.

My mother replied with a weary sigh,
Earning for food is what matters tonight.

Still, I turned to my father with eager zeal,
"Not now," he grumbled, his hands full of toil.

So I carried my question to class the next day,
Speak less, said my teacher, "Don’t disrupt the soil."

The curious child I once had been
Forgot the egg, the chicken, the quest.
Instead, I learned what silence meant
A quiet tongue is often best.

Now at sixty-five, I sit and wonder,
Were those questions ever so small?

Reviews

[MCS]

My friend this hit home for me. I also practiced silence. My books and journals provided answers and a place to express.

Well done dear poet!

[Anme]

Thank you dear. Me either, books and writing was the best fried of mine.

[MCS]

I’m sadden that you also know of this lonely space but the upside is it makes you stronger and creative.

[JayG]

I like the thought. I have some problems with the structure, though.

One thing we should never do with metrical poetry is force the line to provide the rhyme, which you did, noticeably, in stanzas 3/4. "Hands full of toil" is stretching it a bit. But unless it's a local idiom, a teacher calling an unwanted question disrupting the soil is something I can't picture.

And while S5 completes the thought, it seems to have no connection, structurally to the rest.

For a great overview of metrical poetry, jump over to Amazon and read the excerpt from Stephen Fry's, The Ode Less Traveled. It's filled with surprises that will have you rethinking your approach to writing. I recommend that excerpt for all kinds writers.

I've read that book, and unless you want to know more about the various specialties and their construction, it adds little to the excerpt. You might want to take a look at Mary Oliver's, Rules for the Dance, though. Its focus is on metrical poetry. I've not read it, but her A Poetry Handbook, is a gem, so far as non-metrical poetry. You might want to dig into that one: https://dokumen.pub/a-poetry-handbook-0156724006.html

Jay Greenstein
Articles: https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/the-grumpy-old-writing-coach/
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@jaygreenstein3334

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“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
~ E. L. Doctorow

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
~ Mark Twain

[Anme]

Thank you Jay for taking the time to review my poem. Your thoughtful feedback and insights mean a lot to me, deeply appreciate.I will reach out the link that you provided.

Actually, for this poem I also felt like there is something missing between the stanzas but I do not know what is missing. Honestly, I focused too much on the rhyme. Your suggestion help me a lot for improving, structuring and knowing types of poems. I will try better for next. Thanks again.