Portrait of a Man

 

1) Portrait of a Man

I am but a creature of the earth, one among many; I live to be loved and I give love in return. I am understood, and I am misunderstood; I am praised and I am scored [scorned]. I long to cry out from within myself but none will hear. For my voice is sealed within me. Day after day I toil; I dream of the place where work is no more. There are sad times and happy ones, too; There are days when everything goes wrong, but life must go on. My life is but short and my death oh so near. And yet I wonder why I am here...

2) Mom

Give me a hand, For I want to stand. Give me a smile, Make me happy for a while, Give me a pat, As I need that. Listen to my fears, To wipe my tears. Stand by me in hard times, Your voice is like chimes. It’s you I believe in Mom. Your love is comparable to none...

3) Butterfly

Give me your wings I want to fly, Be nice to me, I want to try. Help me to discover new dreams, Over the mountains and streams. Your beauty is an inspiration for all, A hope for big and small. Colors red, green, orange and yellow, Tame the heart of every fellow. Spread your wings to let others smile, To help others walk for miles. You are a creation beautiful of God, Sent on earth to spread joy by Lord.

4) Smile

Guilt mixture it, Anger robs it, Models sell it, Photographers cage it, Death freezes it, Artists create it. Hypocrites show it, Sadness needs it, Jokers always spread it. So, that’s smile, So keep smiling, please.

5) But Why?

If a barber makes a mistake, it’s a new style! If a driver makes a mistake, it’s an accident! If a parents makes a mistake, it’s the new generation! If a designer makes a mistake, it’s a new fashion! If a scientists makes a mistake, it’s a new discovery! If a teacher makes a mistake, it’s a new subject! If a higher authority makes a mistake, it’s a new law! If a student makes a mistake, it remains a mistake itself! But why?

6) Success Is Never Easy

When you’ve exhausted all possibilities remember—you haven’t! It’s impossible to fail totally—if you dare to try. If it is going to be, it is up to me! No body is a total failure if he tries to do something worthwhile. God’s delays are not God’s denials. Never let a problem become an excuse. Today’s decisions are tomorrow’s realities. Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly! The one battle most people lose is the battle over fear of failure. You won’t win if you don’t begin, Don’t kill the dream, execute it! Every beginner is a winner! There will never be another now, make the most of today, There will never be another me—I’ll make the most of myself.

7) A Bird’s Song

Everyone sang; Everyone suddenly burst out singing; And I am always filled with such delight, As a bird in prison finds freedom. Winging widely across the white orchards and dark green fields.

[Excerpts from "Praise to the End!"]

Note: These appear to be transcriptions or notes on Theodore Roethke’s poetry.

I. Where Knock is Open Wide (a) A kitten can bite with his feet; Papa and Mamma have more teeth. Sit and play under the rocket [rocket] until the cows all have puppies. (c) His eyes haven't time. Sing me a sleep-song, please. A real hurt is soft. (d) Once upon a tree a came across a time. It wasn't even a ghouli [ghoulie] in a dream. (e) There was a mooly man who had a nutter hat. The funnier than that, He kept it in a can. (f) What's the time, papa-seed? Everything has been twice. My father is a fish.

4) The Shape of the Fire (a) What’s this? A dish for fat lips. Who says? A nameless stranger. Is he a fool or a tree? Not everyone can tell. (b) Water recedes to the crying of spiders. An old scow bumps over black rocks. A cracked pod calls. (c) Mother me out of here. What more will the bones allow? Will the sea give the wind suck? (d) Shale loosens. Marl reaches into the fields. Small birds pass over water. (f) A low mouth licks water. Weeds, weeds, how I love you. The arbor is cooling. Farewell, farewell, fond worm. The worm comes without sound.

3) A Field of Light (a) Came to lakes; came to dead water, Ponds with moss and leaves floating, Planks sunk in the sand. (b) A log turned at the touch of a foot; A long weed floated upward; An eye tilted. (c) Small winds made a chilly noise; The softest cove cried for sound. (d) Reached for a grape and the leaves changed; A stone’s shape became a calm. (e) A fine rain fell on fat leaves; I was there alone in a watery drawers [drowse];

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