A Side Order of Tears

If I am not I, who will be? - Thoreau

alone

insufficient

clothed by nakedness

poor but rich

i stand at the water's edge

winter's frozen abandon turned to spring's playground

an old millpond

a piece of the river stolen by men of a different era as they sought unnatural wealth

not caring about who or what they exploited

a cold march wind confidently whipping over an asphalt expanse behind me where iron horses once chugged

the geese are here

each of them a living poem in motion

as they erupt with a telling commotion

innocent

curious

free

simply being what they were meant to be

honking past muck and mire as for sustenance they aspire

never having wrestled with time or faith

truth or loyalty

they don't know me

they don't know my sins

they don't even care

they're my friends

the only one's who'll give me the time of day

the only one's who always know the right thing to say

i pray them not to ever be slaves to a lie

not to abandon me when this fleeting day rolls over with a sigh

never to forget me when i die

to let the pond be the only thing to cry

as i toss them another french fry

Author's Note

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." - Thoreau

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I enjoyed this read. It was very tugging at the heart strings in both familiarity and empathy. Your author's note I believe to be amiss however. The quote, generally attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson but sometimes to Thoreau is actually the product of neither but most likely by a Wall Street trader named Henry Stanley Haskins. It was published in 1947 in the New York Times and has since been attributed to a number of more famous individuals. Personally, I had thought it was Emerson but upon further investigation found out the facts of the matter. It's printed on posters being Emerson's name...just another proof we can't believe everything we read.

[Pete]

thanks fgf. hmm, interesting about the quote. then i guess i'll just have to live by what groucho marx said when he was thrown out of the friars club, “I wouldn't want to be part of any club that would have me as one of its members.” ... :)

[Fabian G. Franklin]

It's still a great quote...poor old Haskins though...never getting credit for his wit. You'd think Emerson and Thoreau could stand on their own merits! (laughing) I love Groucho, My favorite quote by him is: " Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

[Pete]

love it ... :)