Pearls of Wisdom

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Was looking through some of my writing today. I sometimes peruse old stuff or tap away at one of my old manual typewriters for inspiration. Anyway, I came across some quickly written poems and realized some of them were not that bad.

At some point in the recent past I had this flash of a dream to be a street poet. Okay, so my poetry is rather terrible but I do have the ability to whip out a quip rather quickly on one of my old crotchety typewriters.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll decide to show up at some local event with a little table and chair, and sell poems while you wait. I imagine (in fact, I've already purchased some small frames) that I would have a long line waiting to buy a quick poem using a customer's subject or prompt.

I set out to practice this and came up with some decent work and some truly terrible words I destroyed immediately. I gave myself a subject and five minutes to come up with a short poem using my typewriter and trying not to make mistakes. Here is an example of the  results.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is yesterday
Not yet past.

Time, it replicates
From first to last.

And when we look back
And when it's all done.

We'll know that the battle
Fought today
Is tomorrow's battle won.

So, remember the days
And dream of the morrow.

Hold on to your dreams
And forget your sorrows.

For, tomorrow is yesterday
Not yet past.

Okay, probably not the best in the world but it fit on a 4 x 6 card so I consider it a success. Within this process, I also came up with a couple of little sayings that I'm sure will become standards in the future-probably so far in the future that the author will be known simply as "anonymous."

Past is the teacher
Future; the test.

Or, this one: 

The greatest light draws the deepest shadow.

Sure, the last one is a little ironic but, hey, irony flows from me like water flowing through a three foot hole in a six foot boat. Really though, exercises like this are a great way to get yourself writing when motivation is low. I'm sure that someday soon, you'll see me at some local festival tapping out poems at five dollars a pop. It might not make me rich but I'm sure it would make me some new friends.

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