With apologies to Shakespeare and Dr Seuss
Is a poem, is a dribble, is a …?
The trouble with labels
I wrote a poem the other day.
I’ve called it, In the moment gone. It was going to be just plain, Gone, which sort of matched the mood I was in when I picked up my pen and started writing, but despite gone being the only word common to all three stanzas, I realised that calling the poem, Gone, wouldn’t do justice to its message. It got me thinking about titles and labels and how much we rely on them. And how misleading it can be to have the wrong title or the wrong label.
I’m happy I’ve chosen the right title for my poem.
In the moment gone
For me, at least, it speaks of time being both fleeting and lingering. And if it does that for you too, then I’ve succeeded because the poem is meant to be one you can meditate on — a mindfulness poem. But don’t let me influence your thinking. Be your own judge. Read the poem for yourself.
In the moment gone
Silvery minnows, oh how effortless
with grace do skim and sashay
forever free of spirit now
alone in this moment gone away
