Lyrics - Late Poet's Questions

[kokopelle]

I posted a poem about the an artist starting late in life. A dialogue with a friend online got me thinking about the aftermath of an artist who no longer produces work that the world witnesses. The song “Late Poet's Questions” is an examination of a passed artist's impact on the larger world.


Late Poet's Questions
Bonus Poem for Day 241 – 20150830

Hear me now and turn your head,
an intrusion on another's world.
Do I cease to be if you ignore
a fellow man with words to tell?
Heartbeat on the computer screen,
reminder that I still exist.
Is this enough to acknowledge
the place I have in your life?

I'm writing the words,
painting the portraits,
molding the clayware,
but what of your heart?

The seasons pass as the world turns,
everything found in its own time.
Are narratives of a life lost
balanced by the what you've gained?
So much to see on the life's canvas,
my work flashes on this moment's screen.
Was your gasp or smile in passing
enough to hold me in your memory?

I'm writing the words,
painting the portraits,
molding the clayware,
but what of your heart?

I could stop spilling ink if I dare,
only at the risk of a life maddened.
Would you hear the silence,
would you know my loss?
A friend of words or hyperbole,
my value depends on your insight.
What if I lost my voice,
became the mute after this?

Where are the words now,
the portraits not done,
clayware unfinished,
have I touched your heart?

© 2015, Sean Green. All Rights Reserved.