Poetic Nonsense (SBC#32)

My favourite poem growing up was always Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Lady of Shalott. I carried it with me in my book, but as I got older, other pieces influenced my writing style and I grew to love several others to the point where I would have to carry textbooks around with me in order to have them on me all the time.  So I memorized a few and kept them in my heart and on my mind.  The others all reside on my book shelves at home.  As an adult, I really appreciate pieces that I can relate to, things from my childhood and things that make me really think.  Poetry runs in my family.  My dad wrote poetry and loved to share his somewhat crude insights into the joys (and downfalls) of the commercial fishing industry off the coast of British Columbia.  My sisters and I, we all dabble a little into poetic nonsense.  With that I leave you one of my favourites:


The Human Being

one tongue
to lick with
kiss with
crush words
spit em out with
two hands
to knit with
fix with
count ten
fingers    toes
only one nose
to run with
couple of eyes
to wink with
plead with
climb a mountain
swim the sea with
oh these legs
to jog with
twist a knee
come and go with
as you please with
six thousand billion cells
to be born with
divide    die and be
replaced with
a brain
a brain
to think with
make my hands
pour a drink with
a memory
to grow a fear with
forget a story
learn a lie with
and never be
alone again with
the human being