Smiles

Read of a simple man's work

one of meter and of rhyme

Whose tired footsteps echo

down the corridors of time

 

A torrid tale of longing

left by walks in thought and pain

Written for your reverence

not for authors only gain

 

For I'm a humble poet

of no specialty nor skill

Who sees the distant longing

of the child upon the hill

 

With days of constant labor

and long nights devoid of ease

I've seen the tops of mountains

Where the gods play as they please

 

Through haze and smoke deliver

my pen light upon the page

Records the music playing

from every day and age

 

To watch the gentle snowflake

alight soft on a child’s tongue

Releasing awe and wonder

of innocence in the young

 

While we the aged wonder

of moments no one could tell

Given no more to dreaming

our thoughts of where we last fell

 

For time is but an echo

of our loves felt, known and lost

Memories of our lives past

which were paid at such a cost

 

Let fly your soul immortal

stop to watch your children play

Their smiles define man's beauty

more than life could ever say

 

  

Author's Note

When we dream is it not the playful longings of the child upon the hill? Do those dreams not define our life's search and desires?

Reviews

[bluessadmood]

Oh God Mr Tate..i was so honored to review this masterpiece..
I would not expect nothing less from you..you know as i read it
I was like on a stage and you asked me to read it out loud
how exquisitely lovely it will come..i swear ..i felt it like a sypmphony
each group of words sounded like they were so high in pitch and then it got low
how you dessicate life and time ,how you humble yourself..God you were made for poetry
those tired footsteps down the lane of time telling tales of pain and ache and tired bones
its a constant labor and long and lonely nights still i stood on top of mountains where God used to play
my words though so hazed they would light a hundred miles from here to eternity and yet more
time only told how love was felt and lost ,lives lived and passed and just at what cost
what loveliness..great symphony from beginning to end..true master poet you are my friend
lovely write..

[zainul]

A great poet presented the lovely piece with his natural humble tone.Children's smiles are really precious and they define man's beauty.I am very satisfied to be able to review the great work.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you Zainul. I appreciate that.

[Relic]

I was struck by the words "For I'm a humble poet of no specialty nor skill," for indeed you are special with a special skill Tate. But I do understand the meaning of your message here and it has much merit.

How many times have I wished we could have all the poets we had years ago too.

Excellent writing, Tate.

Putting you in my personal hall of fame those years ago was no mistake.

[Tate Morgan]

Relic Im honored Thank you. I hope you are well. and happy

[Relic]

Well - yes. Happy - no. I'm a caretaker for my father who has Dementia. It's tough but I'm surviving.

[Tate Morgan]

Im sorry to hear that.My own father ran himself into the ground. Then one night called to tell me that he had lived enough. He just wanted to say goodbye. That night he turned off his pacemaker dephibrilator and died.

[Relic]

Oh my god, tate! I'm so sorry to hear that. Life just gets too much for some especially when they get old. They just want their suffering to end.

[Tate Morgan]

Well my own father was emotionally stunted. He never showed emotion as he didnt know how to express it or manage it. He and i were very different. But it hurt as you might imagine. The first thought I had was" Im next in line to the river STYX"

[Tate Morgan]

You know what I realized at that moment? Once they are gone you are forever cut off from their memories of the past. Everyone you never met like great great grandfathers. He held their memories and i did my best to take ownership of them before he was gone

[Relic]

I can imagine. However you express yourself better than most. Always have. Let's hope you last a good long while.

[Tate Morgan]

I would like to have a long life. However the older I get the more i realize things that were commonplace to me are history to others. Things like the landing on the moon . Most have no memory of our past

[Relic]

Yeah, I was too young to remember that myself. I do remember a lot though I still think about from time to time that others wouldn't.

[Tate Morgan]

Yep this is why i tell people never marry anyone more than 5 yrs younger or older than yourself. The lack of life events and like experiences doesnt work out

[Relic]

I'll take that advice and note it in my mind.

[Tate Morgan]

I use to help friends find mates online. i gave them a few pointers . First by forty dont date anyone who has no past. If they aren't divorced or have an ex they haven't given anything to anyone and likely wont give anything to you. I always advise that youy never date over 40 miles away .Long distance never works. Yo9u need access every day . I have long list of dos and donts. Lastly i say block every one that doesnt fit what your looking for Or you will be forever playing phone tag with too many. Once you find the right one give her your access code to the site and close it . then she will trust you

[Relic]

Sounds reasonable to me. More good advice. :)

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Beautifully done, very touching and inspiring for this old man that time has escaped, leaving only white hair and memories of those younger days ...

your friend, as always,

Marv

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you so much Marv I am humbly honored

[barleygirl]

This poem is hitting on all cylinders: Rhyme, meter, message, word choice, imagery . . . on & on. Most poems have a weak stanza or two, but not yours here, my friend. This is so strong, thru-out. I'm quite blown away. I love the tone of resignation & wonder blended, as the narrator draws portrait after vivid portrait of so many things that bring a smile to our faces, connecting us, appealing to the common sense of humanity within us. Love this poem!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you very much I do like to stick to strict metered rhyme im glad you liked it

[Shekinah2015]

You succeeded in incorporating beautiful language in a rhyming poem. Like!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you thus is one of my earliest works

[realmwriter]

Tate, if ever we could more accurately measure our success as fathers, mothers, teachers, this would be the way to do so. In the smiles of our children. So many things we use to measure our successes and our failures. If we solely used the smiles of our children, then there world would see far more successes. You sir have succeeded in creating a measurement of your skill as a poet and also captured what it is to search for and achieve our dreams. Excellent penning my friend.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Derrick that is a most lucid thought. Recently my friend deb came down with cancer and in an instant was whisked off to the hospital operated on to take out a tumor and then put on kemo.I have always envied her for the way she has save for retirement and managed her days . Now looking back I was shortsighted . I know she would give it all to be healthy and happy laughing and playing again.The day i met her i built her the most beautiful kite of wood and cloth.I put such love into the making of it that i had trouble giving it away. Yet therein lies the value of a gift If you dont want to give it away it is a slam dunk. She flew that kite off the great lake erie and loved every minute of it . Memories of being a child even as we age

[realmwriter]

And I am sure that even today, the memory of that kite would make her smile. A memory created when she was younger and served her so well, I am sure through her entire life.

[Tate Morgan]

Lets hope For i think she is going through what I cant even imagine

[Jamestown]

He shoots, he scores!!! This write is awesome, I could never get enough of
your work, the thought put in to create something so beautiful is amazing, but
then to be able to execute that thought they way you do with
so much passion and truth is a God given gift!!!
Bravo my friend, this is the game winning shot! Thanks for sharing and b-blessed

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you sir . I wrote this a while back as i watched my own son playing in the snow

[roarke]

well, there's sleeping dreams, waking dreams and then there's creative dreams... I'd say this probably sums up all of them.
If they leave an infinite smile on your lips, mind and heart, then all the contentment eternity has to offer.
Happy Holiday wishes to you and your family.

[Athena]

I love it:) Very heartfelt!