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this is more prose than poetry...though
the insights to me seem poetic... "Starlight represents something so distant but necessary." She said. And her eyes actually twinkled as she spoke. "Necessary but cannot literally be grasped." Huh? And then I thought about how often I had grasped at starlight with my heart each time I had gazed heavenwards. It was possible. Possible. Literal, in my way. But I liked what this woman on the bus had to say. She got me to thinking about stars and about God. "Its better to live in here." He said with absolute conviction. I glanced over at him trying not to be a snoop. It is not often you hear this kind of forthrightness. He was pointing to his heart. "What do you mean, Sir? asked his elderly female bus companion. "Do you mean from the heart? Because I try to do good deed every day too." "Not quite, he replied..."I mean, I live my deeds a bit more secretly. I do good deeds on the sly. And I live as quietly as I can. Leaving a small foot print. I listen more than I speak." And then he suddenly stopped speaking." Whoa. I thought. That's a real kind of "authenticism." He's a true pioneer. Then, I got really quiet inside. In a discussion about gentrification of our neighborhood this sentence came up one night coming home. A young fellow began defending the historical significance and beauty of our Southeast neighborhood. He said "I truly value where I grew up! The large trees, the old houses, the diverse people...they make up my identity. These turn of the century houses make up the character of the neighborhood and ought to be valued and preserved." In a nutshell, he uttered the unexpected. I spoke up "A 100 year old house is just like a 100 year old tree, once its gone, it is gone forever." I surprised myself. Then I was quiet. But I felt strong inside. The young man smiled at me as he got off the bus. I prayed for the trees and the houses. You never know what you will hear, riding on a bus. Copyright January 5, 2015 All Rights Reserved By This Author Melissa A Howells/Meloo straight from her Tilt-a-World All poetry/prose/rants/ideas are the legal property of this writer ***** insights taken from bus rides spanning 2003-2014 ****** Thank you for reading Vote for this poem |
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