GROWTH by David Leonhardt

The Happy Guy strikes a poetic note in this mood of write. Inspired by his rich flowing insight of his personal experience in life that makes no difference to our own, I voluntarily arranged this into a poetry format. No, I did not ask his permission but am pretty confident, he wouldn't mind me doing so; for this is his work so credit and kudos is his and not mine.

He gave this a title:

"GROWTH"

The river flows,
ever changing,
picking up speed here
and slowing down there,

narrowing,
widening,
dropping silt
and lifting up dirt,

joining,
separating,
warming
and cooling,

finally emptying into the sea,
just a hint of what it once was.

It is not the same river
as at the source.
It is not the same river
as where the turtles nest.
It is not the same river
as it is at the rapids.

We are each a river.

We flow.
We change.
We learn,
we forget.

We jump for joy.
We mourn a loss.

I don't know about you,
but my childhood feels
like someone else's life.

It's hard to believe
that was me,
that it is the same person.

Of course, it's not the same person.
It was a different person,
because now I'm different.

Different from me as a child.
Different from me as an adolescent.
Different from me as a young man.
Different from me even
as a new parent a few years ago...

in fact, my young daughters are different
than they were just a few years ago,
and it is hard for me to believe
they are the same girls.

Keep changing.
Keep learning.
Keep growing."

~David Leonhardt~
Source: The Happy Guy Newsletter
www.thehappyguy.com

Enduring a writer's block, I find it hard to grow to be able to write the poems I wanted to write. I am in a state of poetic thrombosis that impedes the flow of my thought triggered by a shadowy moment of fantods. The condition is becoming stealthily chronic day by day.

My email box is inundated with subscriptions. Each one I read dutifully then I get overwhelmed. I classified them into different categories and neatly arranged in their respective folders.

Those that I found inspiring, I shared them through my blog like this one for example. So I don't need to put up with lots of thinking what words will I add to the lines.

As in the case of this poetic arrangement, I did not alter one bit of word. They are the author's original. My poetic spirit despite the writer's block syndrome didn't evaporate though. The words are far too beautiful to put this away on the shelf.

Enjoy!