Adam's Leaf

I stand before you, exposed, more or less
but that’s all right because you, gentle readers,
are the reason I write, why I pen the words
I pen, why I take the time to sculpt the
verses, lines, stanzas, stories, poems...
Yours are the eyes that see so clear,
that see inside, that analyze and so I stand
like Adam stood beneath the sun of judgment,
on fields where masses may applaud
or offer criticisms so,
reviewing with a grand elan
or even a mere two cents is welcome.
I’m threadbare often in my soul,
humbled by the talent shown
both past and present--wealth extant!
So who am I to offer lines
that creep along as adders lame,
or if I chance to strike a vein
then greyhounds dash
and leopards leap--inside there beats
a giving heart and curiosity like maws
agape enough to gnaw the Cosmos
piece by piece as time allows, for
clothed I was, once, with a shield,
lead it was, and with a, ‘P’
that weighed, perfection in my mind
and which was great for writer’s block.
But then striving for excellence
allowed the muse to flow
and also opened up the mind
to welcome all those living eyes
to view me like so much tiny life
in little drops of water.  I am but one
among the sea of talent, and so I sigh
and count my fortunes as each and every
second living sparks a greater appreciation.
You, gentle readers, you make it possible,
as joy is thinking, it is offering a fresh peeled
tangerine, it is gathering both pleasure and
pain, and sharing such with all of you.


40 Lines
Writer’s Cramp
7-17-16