Poetry?
By Marvin Druger | mdruger@syr.edu
Mindless
There was an echo in the hallway,
Huge clouds hovered overhead,
There was graffiti everywhere,
Earth became a source of undeniable destiny,
The paths to heaven were open
And birds of paradise feasted on worms
That glowed in the dark,
A lonely cat crept through the high grass
And snakes devoured the eggs of the cuckoo bird
While I luxuriated in a bathtub of warm water.
What am I talking about? I have no idea what this poem means, but this is my attempt at modern poetry. A prominent magazine features many such meaningless poems and the reader has to struggle to figure out what they are all about.
Several years ago, I was reading a children’s book to my granddaughter. It was terrible, but it was published. I thought, “I could do better than that,” and I started writing poetry books for children and adults.
My poetry is the traditional kind. Phrases rhyme. My poems are also meaningful and each poem conveys a positive message about life. Most of the poems are based upon real life experiences. Many different topics are included. My poetry book has a few blank pages at the end and readers are encouraged to write their own poems. Anyone can be a poet.
I included my grandchildren’s poems at the end of the book. Unlike modern poems, my poems rhyme and are understandable. But poems do not have to rhyme. To me, a poem is simply an interesting thought put into words. Reading poetry should be a pleasurable, meaningful experience.
My poetry is accompanied by appealing, childlike illustrations. I hired a professional illustrator, but I didn’t like what the illustrator did. I had a vision of what each illustration should look like, but this illustrator could not meet my expectations. I am not a trained artist, but I decided to draw all the illustrations myself. A professional artist said, “Who did the illustrations? They’re great!” So, I suddenly became an artist.
My poetry is sprinkled with humor. One over-55 reader said, “Whenever I feel sad, I read Marvin’s poems and they make me smile.”
Here are a few of my poems that may be of interest to the over-55 generation:
What Love Means
One day while walking down the street
A little girl I did meet,
She said that she wanted to find
How the word love might be defined.
The meaning was inside my head
And I was pleased with what I said,
“Love is when I want to do
Less for me, and more for you.
Strange Creatures
An elephant is big and strong,
Its ears are large, its nose is long,
I laugh to see its funny face
Its body seems so out-of-place.
But then I think how it would be,
If the elephant studied me,
My face is thin, my body’s tall,
My head has hair, my nose is small.
The elephant would laugh to see
How strange I really seem to be.
The Grump
I am a grump,
I’m nasty and mean,
I’m the grumpiest grump
That’s ever been seen.
When someone says “yes,”
I always say “no,”
I’m a negative grump
Wherever I go.
I complain about everything,
Nothing is right,
I make people miserable,
That’s my delight.
Someone suggested
That I try to smile,
I think I will try,
But it may take a while.
I’ll stretch my lips
In an upward direction,
I’ll practice a smile
‘Til it reaches perfection.
My face looks so strange,
My lips now are curled,
My teeth are exposed,
As I smile at the world.
Hey, I never knew
That a smile feels so good,
I’m losing my grumps,
They told me I would.
My whole life is changed now,
I’ve learned a new style,
I’m no longer a grump
‘Cause I know how to smile.
Two Old Horses
Two old horses in the field,
Both of them were white,
They rubbed against each other
And whinnied in delight.
They shared the field together,
They had lots of grass and space,
They were happy older horses
Who lived at their own pace.
I went to see them yesterday
And much to my surprise
Only one white horse was there,
I could not believe my eyes,
“What happened to your friend?” I asked,
“Where did your partner go?”
The old horse stared at me,
She seemed to think I’d know
That her partner left this world,
That he had left her all alone,
That her happiness had gone,
That her world had turned to stone.
But she was brave and strong,
She overcame her sadness,
She thought about the pleasant past
And sadness turned to gladness.
The happy memories of him
Brought her joy and laughter
And even though she missed him,
She lived happily ever after.
Three Horse Friends
The old white horse
Who lost her mate
Stood bravely in the field,
She lived with pleasant memories
That thoughts of him revealed,
When I drove by the other day
I was pleased to see
Two brown horses in the field,
To make the total three.
They say that three’s a crowd,
But they were a lovely sight,
Three horse friends in the meadow,
Together day and night.
Aging
We get older every day,
There’s not much we can do,
The years fly by too quickly
And youth fades out of view.
In younger days an illness
Would be someone else’s thing,
Now illness greets old age
And we take pills for everything.
Pains are not uncommon,
Arms and legs both ache,
Walking becomes difficult
And bones can split and break.
We lose much of our abilities,
But our emotions stay,
We still can love and laugh
And that will never go away.
Older People
Many people who are old
Seem silly in their ways,
They always seem to talk
About the good old days.
They talk about the past
And how grand it used to be,
They always try to tell us
What they’ve stored in memory
To them it makes no difference
That many things are past,
Because when we get older
We want the past to last.
My Haircut
When my hair looks like a mop
I run right to the barber shop,
My friendly barber’s always there
To cut and groom my messy hair.
He cuts each hair
With pride and skill,
He does his art
While I sit still.
I watch each hair
Float to the floor,
The hair piles up
But he cuts more.
My hair looks short
But there’s no sorrow,
Hair today…
And gone tomorrow.
Beauty Inside
Everyone is different,
No two are made the same,
Each one has special features
And beauty has no name.
Eyes and nose and mouth
Are all a different kind,
What someone thinks is beautiful
Is only in one’s mind.
What we look like outside
Is something we can’t hide,
But what really makes us beautiful
Is the beauty that’s inside
A Lifetime
When I was a little baby
My screams made lots of noise,
I hugged my little teddy
And I played with many toys.
Then as I grew older
And became a little boy,
A small laptop computer
Became my favorite toy.
Adulthood was my favorite time,
I had a job and money,
I had a wife and children
And I had a dog named Honey.
Old age happened suddenly,
Time was quick to disappear,
Before I knew what happened,
The Golden Years were here.
When I look into a mirror
And I see my wrinkled face,
I think of past experiences
That old age can’t erase,
I’m not sorry to be old,
For I’ve seen many things,
My memories prepare me
For what the future brings.
The Yellow Day Lily
The yellow flower was beautiful,
It sparkled in the sun,
I put it in a vase
To be seen by everyone.
I told my wife the flower
Was as beautiful as she,
They both had special features
That brought happiness to me.
The next day the flower was gone,
It lay upon the floor,
It now was shrunken orange
And its yellow was no more.
It was here for just an instant
But then it went away,
I wish this lovely lily
Could have stayed
Just
one
more
day.
I did a reading of my poetry to a class of fourth graders at an elementary school. At the end of the session, I asked, “What is the most important thing that I told you today?”
A student yelled out, “Buy the book!”
This was good advice. Try it and see.
“Strange Creatures and Other Poems About Life” by Marvin Druger. Published in 2022 by Newman Springs Publishing. $13.95. Available from Amazon or by order from your local bookstore.