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..

[Little Whisper]

Absolutely beautiful! :)

[Poeticpiers]

your best yet Tate.
A smile costs nothing to bestow
and brings results we cannot know..
The childish smile of innocence
as yet untinged by false pretence.
Is as near perfect as it can be
and yet it's always given free.
Remember adult smiles conceal
a great deal more than they reveal.
Skilled in the art of false pretence.
Vigilance your best defence.

[BlankPageTheory]

i love it, thank you for submitting it in the contest.

[Jola]

Beautiful memories of childhood are the eyes of a child spectator .. otherwise .... we adults do not understand their children ... sometimes we forget how we were them ... it was beautiful to turn back time and become a child again ... without the worries and troubles ...
Mr. Tate ... beautiful and brilliant poem!

[PadfootBlack]

This is... the most truth-filled peice I have ever read. Wow... just... incredible. Often I think that adults don't respect children enough, don't respect that beautiful innocence, that purity... always pressuring kids to "grow up", to... "be a man". I can honestly say that I love this peice, and love it deeply. Fantastic job.

[Nirmala]

Oh for the humble poet who repackages reality and presents it in an artistic truth of pain, pleasure and the toil and labour of our existence! Your poem is alive and visual! You have a direct and simple style that hits the reader with force. Really good verse!

[Victoria Chang]

I so love love love love this poem!!

"Let fly your soul immortal
stop to watch your children play
Their smiles define man's beauty
more than life could ever say"

beautiful, truely.

Thanks for sharing!!

[Christina May Shanaberg]

This is a wonderful, wonderful poem! How wonderful it is to bring a smile to the face of a child. Actually, the song you chose, reminded me of one time that I did. When my oldest daughter, Charisma, was eight, I bought her her first tape player for her birthday on December 9. Then, she wanted a specific song to play on it for Christmas and, believe it or not, it was Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World."

[A.r. Bazian]

........... no comment!
amazing!
nothing! i have nothing to say! this is outstanding!

[Donna DeLong Matthews a..]

Now this sure makes a heart smile... Kids catching snowflakes on their tongue...
its the simple things that are so precious.

Very nice write

Hugs
D