Off In A Distance
i See A Man Gathering Wood
He is walking around his yard
Picking up fallen tree branches and smaller sticks
Dressed in black pants and what once was a white shirt
Now it is all marked up and dirty
I wonder why he has a smile on his face ?
I can't see anybody with him
Although I can hear him talking to himself
At first I thought he was singing
Because the words had a nice ring to them
There was a few words that rhymed but not many
I have been listening to him for hours
They are different words every time
It is music to his ears
I have never heard of the stories that he speaks
Part story part poem
It could be called a Stoem
Even though I understand where he is coming from
He speaks of the truth
What it is like to live in the world today
It is not always easy
Sometimes it can be a real pain in the butt
There is a strange mystery to life
One that few people try to understand or get to think about
He shoos away a bug from his head
Instantly he starts talking about bugs
What reason do they have to be in this world
I guess the same reason I have to be here
What makes us so special and unique
A bug lives the life it knows
Trying to survive
In any circumstance
It does not judge
It does not curse the world for being difficult
It accepts it's differences from the world around it
A lesson we should all learn
It would be wonderful if we stopped the bickering
The needless chatter
A bug makes a sound
I am not sure if it is a mating call
It could be a warning to other bugs
Not to do what it did
Stay away at all costs
Why would it tell other bugs
When they wouldn't tell him
If they were in the same predicament
It doesn't matter
This bug can't have any education
It is simple one of billions of bugs
On the outside it looks plain and ordinary
Inside it is something really special
I see a fire burning
The middle aged man adds wood to the fire
The fire burns bright at times
The flames soar high in the air
Then other times it looks as if it is almost burnt out
Within seconds from the last moment
I see the flames burst into new heights
Unexpected and quite scary
Even the man steps back in surprise
He adds as many pieces as he can
Into this small back yard fire pit
By slowly removing the cover
Sometimes he puts so much in
He uses a poker to move the burnt ones around
By turning them over
So they burn evenly on the other side
I never heard of such a thing
The wood came from a bigger branch
Separated from what once was alive and well
That could be many years old
It's not it's fault it became broken
The day is extremely hot
I see the man stop to drink
What I first thought was water
Then as I move in closer for a clearer picture
It is a form of water
Gaterade or Powerade
To help the man keep hydrated
Replacing the electrolytes he has lost
He is out there for hours
With all the bending
He has to be exhausted
The rest of the yard shows very little activity
The light from the fire lights up the world in darkness
Giving it new meaning
I know this man well
Because I am this man
It is not until after midnight
When I finally come in from the outside
Ready for a refreshing and quite cleansing shower in many ways
Washing off the smoke and the soot
Only part of the remains from a pile of debris
I noticed something
I have clearly missed
There were a few pieces put aside and not burned
I wonder if were chosen because of their odd shape
Their strength because they could not be broken into a smaller piece and added like the rest
To the burning pile
In the fire I see a ball of energy
Always sparkling and sometimes crackling
Making the most of the oxygen that feeds on naturally
Four hours later
A waste of time when we could be on Facebook and on Twitter
Talking to people we really don't even know
Telling them about our experience
Showing thousands of pictures
Capturing each second as it happens
Instead we chose to unknowingly
To go to HubPages instead
Hours from the actual incident
Recalling from memory
What actually went on in my head
Skillfully trying to attract readers who I haven't seen before
To open up the door I like to call imagination
Where anything and everything does happen
Questions & Answers
Comments
AUTHORlunaticdiaries I just might have to change my name to lunaticdiaries 2 after the crazy week I just had. I think I am making progress then surprise I was wrong. Life is mysterious. Thank you for your comment. It took me 6 days to get back to you. I miss writing. Other things in life had to come first. Nature surprised me with a little work of her own. I got some water down the basement. I used a wet vac to get the water and correcting the problem isn't always easy. I am learning as I go. Hope all is well. Happy Holidays and a wonderful Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Dream On, I like how you brought human nature & nature together. Tying two worlds together & comparing why we do & think the way we do is a catalyst for many thoughts to come. Another good one!
- AUTHOR
Ann Carr Sharing life's magic and beautiful sights, sounds and dreams makes every day more exciting than the one before. Connecting with ideas that bring us together and make us appreciate what we have and don't have. Enjoying the littlest worm to the biggest cloud in the sky is my plan. Every day I get one more step closer to a world that makes everyone happy in some way. Thank you for your time and understanding. Have a lovely morning.
- AUTHOR
Dora Weithers i find it a challenge to mold the thoughts I think and the action that takes place into a smooth transition. I keep testing my emotions and dig deep.into my fears and joys. Thank you for reading and sharing. Have an incredible afternoon.
- AUTHOR
Gypsy Rose Lee You are doing a wonderful job piecing your poems together. The second step around should be easier than the first. How is your first book doing ? How many sales have you had ? I love to see your accomplishments and drive to your future. Charlotte has been sleeping all day. Just real lazy. Have a great Monday.
I am having an interesting time putting together my second book of poems. I am gathering a mix of published and unpublished poetry. This will be a book of only love poems, good love, and bad love. The interesting part is that I have discovered poems that have been online and out there for several years and I do not even like some of them anymore go figure. It will be interesting to put it all together and then reread, edit etc.
All this philosophizing initiated by listening to someone. There are several directions you could have taken, but you shared some helpful messages on the path you took. Admirable!
Thanks, you too.
- AUTHOR
Ann Carr Our cat Charlotte woke me up from a good sleep. i get up add some food to her dish and decide to fold towels I left in the dryer last night. Your temperature is 20 degrees Celsius which is 68 degrees Fahrenheit,That sounds great. I love all temperatures because that makes me appreciate each and every day. I try to create a world which is exciting and fun. To think of a new word that shows that enthusiasm and better describes my poems in a detailed story Helping people understand why I write. Thank you for so much support and friendship. I think life is too short to live any other way. Have a happy Friday.
It is cooler than that but we have an Indian summer at the moment, temperatures keeping in the low twenties for at least another few days. It's been lovely to have good weather for weeks, albeit with a little interrupting rain, but then that's good for the plants.
Love the word 'stoem'; you've invented new vocabulary!
Ann
- AUTHOR
Ann Carr Thank you for being the first person writing a very lovely comment. I keep trying to bridge the gap between my thoughts and the readers minds. Making it something fun and special. Once in awhile I close in and the space seems no bigger than a piece of paper between us. Then other times I miss the boat and there are countries between us. I had a lot of fun writing this stoem and had a great time burning wood at the fire pit. Have a wonderful night. It has been in the 90's here. Hopefully it is cooler at your home.
I love this; it has so much content. The final part has a good message - why on earth do we spend so much time online when we can be outside, though being on HP is usually a good thing when we want to share and explore our memory and imagination. You should have no trouble attracting more readers. I like your style of penning your thoughts; after all, it's how all our minds work, isn't it? Or at least mine does! Good piece.
Ann
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