Welcome to Poetry Friday! I hope you are all doing well. Leave your links below!
Yes, time for BACK TO SCHOOL and Yes, I have seen a few leaves yellowing, dropping on the green grass! Wishing those of you who are so, so busy with your first days (weeks?) starting and hope it has been terrific and not too hot, or that the rain has disappeared from Tropical Storm Hilary. It's been near 100 all week here in Denver, and some schools do not have AC. I remember the challenges from years ago in my classrooms.
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| from Vecteezy.com |
Resistance
This early adolescent spring,
this theater of boys,
shows one grown tall, grabs one more fling
with his old friends, his toys.
He plays and plays, barooms around,
hoping no one hears the sound.
The only other life around
are buzzing bees, like thoughts he found
that reach into the boy’s ears.
He sits and listens to his fears
that all the future coming days
won’t be like all the grown-ups praise.
He only wants his monster truck,
a track of dirt, a time to play,
the growing up, another day.
Wishing you all a great weekend, writing, reading, fun with family and friends or simply "be-ing"!
A moving ending, Linda. Wow, 100 degrees and no A/C? My sympathies are with those schools and teachers. Thanks for hosting us!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I love this poem. I think I'm still resistant to growing up! I love the sounds of these lines:
ReplyDelete"...that reach into the boy’s ears.
He sits and listens to his fears"
The poem's rhythm and rhyme is so playful and fun.
Yes, I hope school is going well for all those in the intense heat zone without A/C! Thanks for hosting today!
And all the best to these dear three grandchildren with their new beginnings, Linda!
DeleteLinda, I hope you find some relief from the heat soon! Your poem Resistance made me smile. I know exactly what you mean. I have observed that resistance of transition from boyhood to adulthood, the embrace of the moment, the play with unself-conscious abandon of the almost-men. There will be other days for growing up, and it is a joyful thing to watch them in the now. You captured the moment so eloquently. : )
ReplyDeleteAwwwww. Those old toys remember the big boy just like his Grandma does. What a wistful, sweet, memory poem. Love the 'only wants his monster truck.' Your grandgirls are growing up! I'm wishing them and grandson well in the new school year.
ReplyDelete"the growing up, another day." Ah, yes! We all still feel that way sometimes, yes? :) Thanks for hosting, Linda!
ReplyDeleteLinda, your post celebrates new beginnings. As the saying goes- every stop is a place to start. The volatility of your weather also reminds me that storms end. I am further reminded of what bob Dylan once wrote- we are constantly in a state of becoming... You have stimulated much thought. Always grateful for your gentle provocations. Thanks alos for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI taught in one of those hot weather with no AC schools, too, Linda - and we accomplished VERY little in that weather.
ReplyDeleteOh, what an important season for your family, with all these new beginnings! Sending love & best wishes to all. You've beautifully captured the bittersweet ache of moving on from childhood to adolescence. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes, let's play all of us–love your poem it has such a lovely movement to the lines. We sure don't play enough… Hope your temps and ours cool down a bit, we were over 100 today, yikes. Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDelete“He only wants his monster truck,
ReplyDeletea track of dirt, a time to play,
the growing up, another day.”
I love this line the end, Linda. I know the poem is about resistance, but I can feel the fear in it too. Isn’t fear the emotion behind resistance a lot (most) of the time?
Enjoy all these transitions happening around you, especially when everyone gets used to what’s charged and starts loving their new situations. You included!
Linda, congratulations to all of your grandchildren. This year marks a significant year for each of them as they move into another phase of life. Past and present are felt in your poem that is so lovely and I hope your grandson enjoys it. Stanza two holds such realistic feelings like "He sits and listens to his fears". Here's to another year of moving on. Make sure that you find time for yourself to "just be" and enjoy life. It is a gift. I am busy working on my last poem swap and trying to find the bottom of the endless piles of to do paperwork. My post will come on Friday during the day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! I really love the word "barooms." I feel awful that they have no AC at 100 degrees. Our AC has been slow to start and that combined with our humidity has made for some miserable mornings at school, but it's starting to work better.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100% -- here's to play for everyone! All ages need it, crave it. And the growing up or the being grown up can wait while we recharge our batteries. What a trio of transitions in your family! How lucky they are to have you at their solid center. Thanks for hosting us! Happy Poetry Friday!
ReplyDeleteA theater of boys! That line is so vivid, and the rest of your poem only makes it more so. I love the moments when "big" kids play again... Thanks so much for hosting in this busy time.
ReplyDeleteOh!! May the heat break and the new year be wonderful, Linda
ReplyDeleteI hope your kids have a wonderful year, that it gets a bit cooler for them, and they continue to play. Love the last stanza of your poem!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful time of year to celebrate transitions - seasonal and familial.
ReplyDeleteGrateful that with the school year here, the end of the heat is in sight. Here's to all the changes that come. Thanks for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteI love your poem. I loved teaching middle school and this was perhaps what I loved most about the transition from childhood to young adulthood and the desire to still play and retain some of those "childish" pursuits.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting!
Linda, August is a special time of year - even though it is still summer, it takes on a special meaning when you are involved in education or have family members making life transitions such as you do. Thank you for hosting. I miss the return to school and the newness it always brought. Enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThat tugs at my heartstrings, Linda. And I'd like to leave the growing up for another day, too. Thank you for capturing this moment--and for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I read your beautiful post early-early this morning and two more times, as I tried to finish my own post. I send well wishes to all your grandchildren and hope you stay cool during very high temperatures. You always bring a warm touch to your hosting roles. I think this is because your honesty always prevails in your writing. Today the poem is so touching. Transitions are always tough so I hope all of your grands enjoy the step into another level of life. "He sits and listens to his fears." It is the wise person who listens to fears, understand the elements that create these, and problem solves. Have a wonderful time watching your grandchildren as they mature.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all for your kind comments and good wishes. The grand girls are having a great first week. Their schools do have AC. Other schools without have been letting out early, not the greatest solution but the only one available right now. Then, today, the remains of Hurricane Hilary have come by, dropped the temperature to 70 & it is rainy! It will be a good day for all schools, I hope!
ReplyDelete“The growing up, another day” seem to be words that resonate for so many of us. It’s a great line!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet image of that crossing-over time from boy to young man - innocently pushing trucks around, no self-consciousness, till one day they whisper the "vrooms." Sigh... such a lovely poem, Linda.
ReplyDeleteThe time og year is certainly the ending and starting of things. I love the last line of your poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your sweet poem. With my grandson starting middle school this year, your words tugged at my heart. Even though I've been retired several years, this time of year always feels like a new beginning.
ReplyDeleteMy comment posted as anonymous, but this Linda. : )
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Diane, Patricia, Jone, & Linda. I hope you've had some 'playtime' yourselves this weekend, am so glad you enjoyed the poem. Have a great week coming up!
ReplyDeleteHow touching and how real your poem feels, even for other stages in the life of a boy...
ReplyDeleteResistance! I get it completely :( "won’t be like all the grown-ups praise" Silly, silly adults.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol & Karen, great to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteAs a retired educator, mom, and grandma, I loved reading your poem and thinking back.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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