I have always liked the little contradictions and ironic twists of life. The black against the white background, the clown who is really crying, (visited later), the smiling person who is hiding heartache, again to be touched on, but most of all the metaphoric book story contained as opposed to its cover. In fact the “people and pictures” of life that we shouldn’t take at face value at all, as often many things we see initially are not either the complete or even part of the story.
To clarify this is a poem I wrote about a person on request by them. I have now sadly lost contact with her, but at the time she was going through a very tough time with a handicapped child and an abusive husband. She said I had been able to help by listening and offering advice after I had recognised the sadness and struggle behind her smile and laughter. I was moved not only by her situation but in the way she was always prepared to help other people despite her own difficulties.
Thus the first of four poems in this article is called “contradiction”
Contradiction
Laughing, smiling happy soul
Pure contentment’s all you’ve got,
Until you take a closer look
And see in fact it’s not.
Behind the easy ready smile
A mask conceals what’s true,
And betrays a deeper inner ache
That belies the outer you.
So it’s no lie that makes you laugh
And lights your outer glow,
It’s a natural pull to get away
From scenes best not to know.
But still you sail on constantly
Making happy waves and wakes,
To do the deeds required from you
Whatever pain it takes.
And thus your spiral turns and twists
And pulls you up and down,
And mocks your steadfast attitude
To look without a frown.
So now your battle rages on
Unseen and yet severe ,
While you give aid and comfort
To anyone that’s near.
Laughing, smiling happy soul
Who wants freedom like a bee,
To be stroked and brought to life
By the special ones that see.
So that was “contradiction” and was published in my first book Poetic Views of Life. The poem was written about 2008 and in some ways is still one of my favourites.
Another poem that I touched on in the introduction to this article follows next and is entitled “Laughing Sadness” about a clown who is unhappy, but I will let you read it yourselves. Again from my book Poetic views of Life, it was published in the Eastbourne Gazette only a month or so after the book was brought out and was my first to printed outside my books.
Laughing Sadness
Coco pop the circus clown
Had a sadness in his heart,
But he could never show this
He had to play his part,
In a world of joy and laughter
That he would never feel,
So he clapped, laughed and chortled
Though none of it was real.
The world had played a nasty trick
On the clown called Coco pop,
For in love he was a failure
And with women he would flop,
Despite his best intentions
To woo the ladies off their feet,
He never got a second chance
To feel their rumba beat.
Through tear streaked eyes he smiled
At every trick and joke,
That his act demanded of him
Although it all felt like a yoke,
Upon his saddened heart strings
That he never would hear play,
A joyous loving chorus
So a lonely man he’d stay!
Poor Coco never to get a lady then, but let’s hope that he does find love some day. I’m sure he will.
With that in mind I will slightly twist our contradictions to one that we often talk about but perhaps never realise exactly what we mean. We say at times “listen to the silence”, or nearer to where I am going, that the silence “is deafening”. This is of course the times we feel or notice a total lack of noise, especially when we are alone, and even worse, if left on our own.
That theme then is my third poetic contradiction called “Silence Thunders” and written about eighteen months ago after someone I knew suddenly found themselves left on their own.
Silence Thunders
Silence echoes loud as thunder
Like the voice of someone dear,
That you will never see again
Or feel their body near.
Silence echo’s loud as thunder
In the rooms inside your home,
Where every noise will tell you
That you are all alone.
The special one has gone now
So won’t be heard to speak,
Or let you kiss and touch them
And so your eyes will leak.
It’s said you don’t miss someone
Until after they’re not there,
The gift is gone completely
So your life is really bare.
Silence echo’s loud as thunder
Even if you are sincere,
So no future substitution
Can ever fully cheer.
There’s silence in the heart
Like a thunder in the ears,
And so that silent thunder
Haunts your future years!
Quite depressing but sadly a factor of our lives many people don’t like to look at, but maybe in some ways that is why I take these themes on, and of course my poetry covers most subjects in my views of life. Hopefully I can resonate these observations and feelings with people to make them aware, or perhaps admit. Complimentary feedback to me suggests in peoples kind words that they have nodded, cried and laughed at my work. That makes me a very happy man.
Thus on that note I add the fourth and last poem “Nature of Man” that I only wrote about seven months ago. It is included in my 3rd book published mid October 2016 called Reviews of Life in Verse.
The poem is slightly different for me although I don’t totally have a “subject” style, more perhaps a descriptive and pithy way as it was described in appreciative manner recently. It does have a contradiction within it as well as the previous poems. Anyway please enjoy.
Nature of Man
As well as my sardonic observations
And cryptic views of life’s things,
I also see nature’s wonders
Like beautiful creatures with wings,
Or amazing life all shapes and sizes
Living plants in varied hues,
Filling us with awe and amazement
And our eyes with special views.
Mr Attenborough awakened minds
Before all closed to planet Earth,
So now we can be astounded
At stunning wildlife giving birth,
With expanding growing numbers
Living with and around us.
Some we see and take for granted
Others just live without fuss.
But though I dearly love to see nature
My main interest is the common man,
Who with knowledge, or perhaps none
Is killing our world each way he can!
All three of my books :–
Poetic Views of Life
MORE Poetic Views of Life &
Reviews of Life in Verse
Will ensure my donation to the excellent charity I support, promote and donate to, that being Help for Heroes and my books only priced £4. 99p each are all on sale at Amazon, or from me at …………….. lw1800@hotmail.co.uk
I also have a Facebook page “The Psychy Poet Laurie Wilkinson”
