Tuesday, August 15, 2006

a poetry tale:


little wanna be


"and where do your ideas come from?
the words for your little POEMS?"

with the tone of voice only
the overeducated can pull off

subtle, but not.

he smiled down from his lofty height
waiting for little wanna be
to scurry away
like a bug when a rock's been kicked over.

"where?"
little wanna be looked up
eyes wide with a smile
that wasn't.
a smile that only the littles
can pull off

and said

"don't know." cause
little wanna be knew right then
that he wasn't
and she was.

keeping the answers to herself.

2 comments:

LSqrd said...

"Keeping the answer to herself".... That brought a smile, and reminded me of a poem I first read in High School, by Michael Dennis Browne:

Inspiration Point

They think I am sitting alone at the front of the boat
Because I want to be inspired
"Is that Inspiration Point?" somebody asks.
I don't want to be inspired,
I want to look at the water.


I took a course in high school that really sparked an interest in poetry. Then I took a course in college, with a self-important TA that totally doused it.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

hi, i'm glad you've written. i've known many teachers in my life. one of my best friends was a teacher, my uncle was, my daughter's father-in-law and his wife both are profs at cmu.

some people, some teachers, some poets, are full of themselves. they are technically very, very good at whatever their work is, but they are too self important and tend to act as if they alone hold all the answers. they never fail to be at the very least, condesending. i also, after getting to know some quite well,see that they make their area of expertise seem way more complex and special than it need be, as if only THEY can do the task. that discourages a lot of people that are just a bit too shy or less confident from persuing their goals.
the best teachers i've ever met, the best poets or artists or chefs, mechanics etc. have been those that loved their craft so much that they WANTED others to enter into it with them. they wanted to "spread the joy" so to speak. they were encouraging and kind and taught by example. someone might be an amazing playwright, poet, artist or baker, but if they deliberately come off as a self important know it all, then to me, they are not nearly as good as the person that FEELS their vocation in their soul and wants to let everyone, that wants to feel that way about something, learn how to let themselves do it as well. a bad teacher can damage dreams.
this little wanna be learned in that moment that she had the answers and that he was a fraud.

and so, knowing he didn't have them and would never accept them from her, she walked away.

thanks so much for the comments, sherry