deepundergroundpoetry.com
Free Spirit
He only called his mother and father by their names,
His hoarse little voice only added mystery to his story,
His mother would tell tales of how at mass he’d claim
The statue of Jesus was “my papa” praising him in glory.
He was a free spirit, curious about others coming and going,
Wandering the earth as if he was some kind of ancient soul,
And the day before he died he went around collecting coins,
We’ll never know what he dreamt when he was only two years old.
May 1948 - January 1951
#StevieSmith
His hoarse little voice only added mystery to his story,
His mother would tell tales of how at mass he’d claim
The statue of Jesus was “my papa” praising him in glory.
He was a free spirit, curious about others coming and going,
Wandering the earth as if he was some kind of ancient soul,
And the day before he died he went around collecting coins,
We’ll never know what he dreamt when he was only two years old.
May 1948 - January 1951
#StevieSmith
Published 17th Feb 2020
| Edited 4th Mar 2020
Author's Note
For the Alone In The Woods comp, inspired by Stevie Smith's poem In My Dreams
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46843/in-my-dreams
About my grandmother's first born.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46843/in-my-dreams
About my grandmother's first born.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 5
reading list entries 2
comments 6
reads 846
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
17th Feb 2020 9:35pm
Dear W,
You have such a way about grabbing a reader and drawing them in with your wonderful way of incorporating your own family history into your poetry. It’s sad, interesting, entertaining and always beautiful. May the little one continue on collecting coins in the Kingdom of heaven. Gorgeous write. H🌷
You have such a way about grabbing a reader and drawing them in with your wonderful way of incorporating your own family history into your poetry. It’s sad, interesting, entertaining and always beautiful. May the little one continue on collecting coins in the Kingdom of heaven. Gorgeous write. H🌷
19th Feb 2020 6:42am
Dear Honoria, that was an awesome comment. Discovering other artists and poets through these comps give us a wider view of the world. In reading through Stevie's pieces and sitting down with my grandma a few days ago, I could only think of telling a bit of her story trying to emulate Stevie's style.
It's always an honor to my have piece on your reading list.
Thank you.
It's always an honor to my have piece on your reading list.
Thank you.
Anonymous
18th Feb 2020 10:01am
I very much enjoyed the nods all around to Smith's poem you worked in, while keeping yours very original. Splendid work. Good luck in the judging, Wally.
19th Feb 2020 6:43am
Thank you Johnny.
I went through several of her pieces and this is the one that resonated with me. I know I still have a lot reading to do, but you and Ahavati are adding to my reading bucket list.
I went through several of her pieces and this is the one that resonated with me. I know I still have a lot reading to do, but you and Ahavati are adding to my reading bucket list.
18th Feb 2020 2:18pm
KerTHUNK! Goes my heart into my stomach, Wally. What an emotional twister. Best of luck in the comp!
19th Feb 2020 6:44am
Thank you Ahavati (and for the RL too).
I felt the same way when my grandma tells me these stories of heartbreak and moving on.
I felt the same way when my grandma tells me these stories of heartbreak and moving on.
