Photo of the Moon by Jenny Pomirko Sparks
All
the entries responding to the January Poetry Challenge were interesting. I selected three
poems that come from different angles to the question of what you would do if
you ran the government or the advice you would give to those who do.
The
first poem will explain why I asked Jenny Sparks if I could use a picture she
took of the moon last year. On her first day in office, Cindy Guetherman would
appoint an old-timer who has experienced every kind of confusion and turmoil the
universe can offer:
ancient
winter moon,
we
hereby put you in charge
of
worldly chaos
Cindy
Guentherman
Cindy’s
poem is the shortest one submitted this month. The author of the next poem must
have had tongue-in-cheek as she penned the longest submission, though she
throws in one more serious policy suggestion near the end.
If I Ran The
Government
Me
run the government? Think twice…
I
would lose my pencil or pen,
or
yours if you lent it to me.
I
would lose the documents about policy,
maybe
on purpose,
since
the fine print
would
bore me.
Let
me be consultant -
churn
out wild ideas -
for
The Kingdom of Imagination.
There,
everyone sprinkles their imaginings
like
salt from a shaker
on
themselves, each other,
with
paint, costumes, one-of-a-kind hats,
good
humor, frolic, boundless appreciation.
Arts
for All -
not
just the “talented”
(hey,
we’re all talented!)
“Anything
Goes Variety Shows!”
where
we share passions;
develop
new ones;
juggle
plastic bags;
read
poems;
play
tunes;
sing
gaily together;
bake
fortune brownies;
write
fabulous fortunes.
In
The Kingdom of Imagination
kids
will help other kids in school.
No
teasing.
Put-ups,
(not put-downs).
No
grades.
Self-evaluation
with compassion.
Variabilities
not disabilities.
Group
go-arounds,
Show
and Tell,
witnessing
respectfully,
listening
deeply.
In
The Kingdom of Imagination
the
Policy Person,
(The
person who doesn’t lose pencils,
who
reads the fine print)
will
institute Single Payer Health Insurance.
We
will celebrate daily
in
our Parade of Gratitude!
~
Tasha Paley
The
third poem I picked is an etheree. It might not have been written especially
for this poetry challenge, but it is appropriate. What better advice can we
give to presidents, prime ministers, governors, parliamentarians, members of
congress, mayors and other leaders than this?
Hearts
Try
keeping
your
heart an
open
door like
a
father who leans
in
its light looking out
helping
the weak who cannot
help
themselves but still look to you
because
their heart’s cry is for mercy—
they
ask, may hearts weak and strong beat as one . . .
~
Michael Escoubas
Actually,
what better advice is there for leaders (or for any of us) than to keep our
hearts as open doors and to work for the unity expressed in the last line,
where many hearts beat as one?
Congratulations
to the three winners this month. Check back on February 1 for a new challenge.
If you didn’t win this month, maybe you will next month. Keep trying.
Bios:
Michael Escoubas began writing poetry for publication in
August of 2013, after retiring from a 48-year-career in the printing industry.
Early in life his mother said, You have a gift for words; you should do
something with that gift. He writes poetry, in part, because of his
mother’s encouraging words. Michael also writes poetry because he believes
poetry brings people together and that poets are menders of broken things.
Michael has published one chapbook, Light Comes Softly, which is
available as a free download on iTunes.
Cindy Guentherman first started
publishing haiku in the early eighties and it is still her favorite kind of
poem.
Tasha Paley lives part time in San Miguel Allende. MX
and part time in Brooklyn, NY. She is a retired creative arts therapist having
worked both in public schools in NYC and with all ages. She engages whimsically
and playfully in all the arts—improv theater, Playback Theater, painting,
writing and illustrating children’s books, and writing poetry and theatrical
plays.
