With two sons growing up, and this week far away on high school trips, I think about the things I have learned along the way and would like to share with them… something more than just to ‘keep warm and stay out of trouble’. Inspired by the words of Charles Dickens, coming through Betsy Trotwood to the young adult David Copperfield, this poem is a thought on what I hope they might learn from life and from me.
What I would share
You cannot always be generous,
Sometimes there are things that you are not ready to share
Things you must for a time hold on to
There are times when you feel the insecurity of scarcity
and cannot believe in abundance
You cannot always be generous,
But please,
Don’t be mean
You cannot always be genuine
Sometimes you do not know yourself, your mind
You fear the light is too bright for your true colors
The cards too clearly staked against you
Your courage lets you down
You cannot always be genuine
But please,
Don’t be false
You cannot always be kind
Sometimes you feel repelled, repulsed
Sometimes you have to turn away, turn your back and walk
Sometimes your soul is small and scared
You haven’t any strength to spare
You cannot always be kind
But please
Don’t be cruel
Små skridt i den rigtige retning, medmenneskelighed blandt alle os middelmådige mennesker er en god barselsgave at give vores børn at bygge videre på.
Elsker dine smukke digte. Har desværre haft for lidt tid til at læse dem,men gør små skridt i den rigtige retning:-9
Thank you Anne, dejligt at hører at du læser noglen af dem!
Totally true………..
Glad you agree!
Rilla, I liked your poem very much. So full of wisdom and yet no wish to “teach”, just to share and make you think and feel OK the way you are!
Thank you Ylva, your positive comment is very much valued.
hope the boys will read it one day. thanks Rilla
I’ve just put Candice on a plane back to England and am childless for the first time in 20 years, so your poem touched a chord and made me feel a little weepy! She told me with a kindly smile, as I saw her off with a few encouraging words “Your pep talks are great, Mum”. It’s part of our job description as mothers but I see that the need is rapidly receding and I shall miss it.
How true, very hard to think of a home without the children who have filled it for so many years!
So very true.
Rilla, I love this poem: both the structure, and the sentiment, which is so honest
Thank you, Paola! Looking forward to working with you on the Literary society of Dhaka!