Surely You Jest

Surely You Jest
by: R.A. Slater
4/24/2012

Writer's block, she scoffs,
In the energetic voice of the young
There is no such thing!
Surely you jest?
Open your eyes and see
All the inspiration you'll ever need
Is all around you!
In the rising of the sun,
To the splendor of the night sky!
From the gentle flower petal,
To the beauty of the rainbow!
All you need is to trust
This wondrous ability you have!

You may be right, says the older one
I argue not! Except to say
You've never been there
When blank paper mocked you
Because all you could see
Were failures at your door
All my energies I did pour
Into a story from my heart
Then when I went for more
I found it spent
How the audience expected you to please
When you mocked them for sport
And they laughed and cried for more
So in disgust I walked away
And slammed the door

You sound almost bitter, the young one says
And shakes her head
But it sounds like you've a learned
To look at things differently
Than when you first begun
For that's what it's all about
Looking at things and seeing
A myriad of things
That none other but you can see
Drop the cynical callous on your heart
Let it feel again, let it heal
It's up to you to tell your tale
It's alright to be different
They need you to be that way
Even if they themselves don't know it

I took the time to live
The older one went on
To live and breath and explore
Did things I've never done before
Spent more time with family
Did not shy from new people
I can see the wisdom in what you say
And my heart wants to catch fire
I'm still afraid you see
Of what people might say
Even more what I'll find
In the hidden recesses of my heart
It's an ongoing process
And I'm getting there

That's the spirit, the younger one rejoiced
Don't be afraid, but plunge on ahead
You won't find what hasn't been found before
Catch fire and burn
Blaze like the sun
Write your stories and your poems
Lose yourself in your dreams again
No turning around
No looking back
Except to remember your lessons
Share with the world
What has been given to you
Don't hide it in the sand

Taking her words to heart
I set out across the sand
Knowing that the further I can go
The farther I can leave it behind
And embrace the future
And harness the storm within
To ride through the battles
Remembering how to dream
Will be easier
Than I first thought
As I keep on moving
Onward to where the water is
Out of this desert place

My thanks to Mara Wilson Writes Stuff for the inspiration for this poem.  May she forgive me for the liberties I took with her 'character'!