Litte Johnny's Masterpiece

This one is dedicated to all young and new poets on WC. Please also read the author's note.

The sky is blue, the sea is green
The air is still, the seagulls soar
And Little Johnny cheerily
Is building castles on the shore

A shovel in his tiny hand
He stands beside a little dune
He digs, he shapes, he molds, he makes
And hums his own ungainly tune

The castle grows with every grain
Its craggy towers climbing high
Its crooked turrets boast and gloat
Of flirting with the sunlit sky

The moat goes round in drunken twists
And somehow ends where it began
The princess blushes in her room
The distant landscape soldiers scan

The shovel then is dropped aside
As Little Johnny's on his knees
And staring widely at the sea
Is Little Johnny's masterpiece!

And then the nasty waves rush in
An evil flood of crumbling hope
And Little Johnny can do naught
But cry and scratch and claw and grope

"Why don't you make them stronger boy?
Why aren't they made of steel and stone?"
The cruel waves ask as they flow back
And Little Johnny's left to mourn

But Johnny does not care for waves
His castles though they often raze
The fires of malice fail to set
The fortress of his dreams ablaze

Author's Note

Over the past couple of weeks, I've heard from several people that many young poets are leaving WC because of the harsh criticism that has come their way. My heart goes out to all of them and this poem is my message to all budding writers. The world is often not as nice as we'd like it to be. But we must keep following our passion. Never give up and keep writing. And one day, even the meanest of waves will not be able to make a dent in your majestic castle.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

This poem is such a delightful way of putting over your thoughts, Don't doubt or rather, sincerely hope, that lots of youngsters will read these wise and empathic words and feel happier for them.

Tis too easy for older people and i mean over eighteen years old for want of a ceiling.. to forget what learning how to do anything can be likw. It's painful, needs real courage to step into the adult world.! To want to write, to have the urge to write, should be enough to trigger help and advice. not fire off arrogance or mickey.taking. Kindness doesn't hurt, loss of memory does.

[Augustus]

Thank you so much Emma! I do hope that this piece reaches as many youngsters as possible. And as you suggested by private mail, the word 'lumpy' has been changed to 'craggy'. Many thanks for helping me improve this write! :)

[emmajoy]

Have just this moment continued the chain of thought ..

[Rita L. Sev]

At its surface, this is a well-structured, sweet poem about this little boy and his sand-castle dreams. That alone make it a good poem. The analogy of crushing young artists (or athletes, singers, students...) make it an outstanding piece. I really enjoyed this!

[Augustus]

Thank you so much, Rita!

[Robbie~xoxo~]

You have touched my heart and I see that we should encourage, not discourage our young poets and writers.. I feel that supporting each other could be a great staple in WC... if we could only be kind enough to help instead of hinder... maybe one day these poets will live their dream...what if we, as a community, helped them get there?...now that would be nice! :)

You have penned a wonderful piece!.. intellectually bountiful, vibrant imagery, and a fantastic vessel within your message!

[Augustus]

Thanks Robbie! :)

[Holly Mason]

very beautiful expression of thought
written in such away to attract the mind of a young writer-sets boundaries within itself that will guide a readers mind through a nice story that seems so simple but when looked at for translation screams what I have wanted to say....no waves should stop your dreams and even if it is not a dream but an exploration it should still be explored.When younger if I had started on a site like this I would of never fully explored my writing side.I have only been re-exploring after 20 years of nothing myself as of late and I have thought to leave more then once over the blatant reviews that are only written to offend.A younger person needs to be supported and encouraged.Like your sand castle way of expressing this.It is a difficult topic and yet you have laid it out so smoothly...enjoyable truly
thank you for sharing

[Augustus]

Thanks Holly! :)

[Ken Simm.]

This is almost a monologue as the humourous ones of Moore Marriot and his ilk but mixed with again almost a Childe Harold feel.
Uplifting but strangely wistful at the same time. I then read your note and I realised why.

[Augustus]

Thanks and well spotted Ken! This poem differs from my other writes and was written with a specific social purpose in mind. But judging from your review, I seem to have succeeded in some measure at least in creating the desired impact, which is quite reassuring.