•
the garment of demands
in which we’re dressed when we are young
is often awkward and ill-fitting
but the self-tailored cloak of expectation
we put on when we are grown
is far more difficult to wear
• • •
•
permit me to share the legend
of the man who rocked the world
luminescent — larger than life
his banner of fame unfurled
he confidently took each stage
flashed his skills with pride and power
his celebrity rocketed skyward
enormous talent, in his finest hour
a humble tempering childhood
helped him hone his mythic dream
a bright young man with wicked ‘chops’
he could make his guitars scream
his fame continued to grow
so too the demands upon his time
more nights, more travel, more concerts
but for his fans, he didn’t mind
his glory spread round the globe
renown and fortune grew unbound
like a rampant roaring wildfire
nothing it seemed would take him down
but terror struck while touring Europe
unleashing panic, fear & strife
bombs tore through the concert hall
to save his fans — he risk his life
the first blast ripped the back wall
mike in hand, he stood firm and fast
directing the people to safety
they all escaped — now he was last
it was horror in high definition
TV broadcast the heartbreaking sight
a question hung heavy over the chaos
did their hero meet death tonight
the sad truth was the top news story
the brave mega-star had died
all the world was seen to mourn
at candle vigils the people cried
so permit me to share this legend
of this remarkably brave young man
who, possessed of wealth and fame
truly never forgot the fan
poems and collage by: rob kistner © 2010
Amazing and so true! You’ve said it perfectly, I ‘m going to remember this always!
Two very different writing styles to complement two very different perspectives! Really love the image of: “the self-tailored cloak of expectation”!
loved the concept, loved the ideas :0)
Two contrasting yet equally powerful messages. Brilliant.
Two delightful poems! Wise and uplifting. 🙂
Hi Rob,
Enjoyed both poems. That first one resonated strongly with me. It’s hard to shed self-imposed expectations. Some may say that is key to learning that “perfectionism” cannot and should not be pursued.
I choose hand-me-downs and has-beens – they’re far less demanding.
Rob
You are in a “League of Your Own”, both wonderfully written.
Joanny
Hi Rob,
I enjoyed my visit to your blog which I discovered via the poetry list. I was happy to find myself on the list too. I have been spending an enjoyable evening visiting many new, wonderful blogs like yours.
Diane
I loved it. Wonderful choice of words.
loved both poems, the counterpoint. The first is pure gold though!
Demands can be the clothing we “put on” often roles played to protocols set by society’s high and ‘demanding’ standards. Demands can be personal to our personal constitution. Often persons place higher demands on self than being selfish and self-serving. Our conscience places a heavy load on the self to be a superhero. The guitarists even though famous (who is it? Jim Morrison?) he is an everyday hero who easily gave their life for another. Life expectations vs Spiritual expectations. We don these outfits by conscious choice. The inner spiritual clothes a real persons of quality wears are far more important and far outweigh the clothes worn to fit into the society’s cog. Image is not as important as spiritual substance.