To Mom

To my mother, who may not understand my wacky adventures, and frequently fears them.

If I die in a senseless shooting,
In the Pantheon of Rome,
If I crash in a head-on collision,
Driving the Kenosha mountains home,

Possibly I'd fall off the Arc de Triomphe,
Soaking up culture in France,
Or a grizzly mauls in Yellowstone,
When Ol' Faithful stole my glance,

Perhaps alcohol poisoning is how I'll go,
After cocktails and shows in Vegas,
Or a 'quake, in a Greek museum,
And right on my head lands Pegasus!

Maybe the unforgiving, hostile sea,
Washes me away in Miami,
Or I'm stabbed, for purse and possessions,
After Cardinal's baseball in St. Louie,

Suppose a moose stomps me to death,
Protecting twin calves in Montreal,
Or in Costa Rica, Malaria infects,
From a toucan in torrential rainfall,

Somebody give my mother a hug,
And tell her not to weep,
Because I lived a wondrous feat,
Completely deliberately.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is a fun sassy poem, with strong rhyme & rhythm, & a TON of imagination! I love it when a poet uses lots of unique details . . . you pack this poem with unexpected examples that really resonate with someone independent like me, coming from a family of chronic worriers. I feel your pain! Every time we go on the freeway in a car, we are taking the biggest chance anyone can take! All the rest are minuscule risks, by comparison! But you can't stop a chronic worrier. Love your loving tone, despite the flippant message (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[VelvetPotato]

Thanks for your review, Margie!!

[Ballpark Frank]

I like this attitude! You like to live life and enjoy it, some just seem content to exist. I feel the same.

[Gee]

I worry every time my daughter gets into her car to drive. We spend so many years investing time and love into our children so if course we're gonna fret :))
Good morning, enjoyed your words

[VelvetPotato]

Of course! I don't blame my mom, sometimes I just want to live without feeling guilt that I could potentially be upsetting her. Thanks for your review. :)

[Ryan]

I absolutely love this! it flows so smoothly, the rhyming is superlative, the last line is quite the scene buttoner, and your pen paints a beautiful picture. Well done :)

[VelvetPotato]

Well thank you, Peter Pan! Appreciate the love.:)

[Ryan]

Anytime :)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Love the thrust of this defiant but loving poem with some creative rhyming. Very entertaining and so many ways to die lol! Love the final stanza. Keep on trucking!

[VelvetPotato]

Thanks John!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love the last line and meaning of this...also live not far from St. Louis...
and it has become such a dangerous city...my mom used to be such a worrier as well....
always, even when there was nothing or no one to worry about.
but every day we are subject to that possibility of a sudden death...could happen anywhere or anytime no matter how careful we are.
but if we live deliberately, then No regrets...
powerful poem..
j.

[VelvetPotato]

Thank you, j. I am also from St. Louis, so I know how dangerous it is. Thanks for your insights. :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, originally from there...you understand then....i am from Bronx, NY...but so long ago, where we lived was relatively safe---in the fifties..but later...well...we had moved to Illinois...
up by Joliet...