Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Inkpen Poetry Day: "The Front Porch"

Mmmmm...it's a typical summer evening in the countryside. The farmer is harvesting his wheat across the field and a golden haze hangs above the tree-tops from the chaff. The setting sun drops behind the trees as if to apologize for it's brilliancy during the day and relieves the air with a goodnight kiss of pearly light.
It would seem the perfect time to write something....after all, what is more essentially American than this picture? Isn't it the ideal companion to inspiration? One would think so. And yet I am content to revel in the beauty, the poetry, the gorgeousness of this land without trying to water it down with my fallible words. :)

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end..."
(Psalm 19:1-6a)

That says it all so well that I will not go on about this evening. :) However, I did want to share a poem with you that I wrote, and ask you what you think of it:

"The Front Porch"
Rachel Heffington

Sittin' on the front porch
Swingin', swingin',
Sittin' on the front porch in years gone by.
Sittin' on the front porch
Swingin', swingin',
Till we guess our toes will touch the sky.

Sittin' on the front porch
Singin', singin',
List'nin' to the whippoorwill's lonely cry.
Sittin' on the front porch
Singin', singin'
Weavin' dreams together, just you and I.

Sittin' on the front porch
Bells are ringin',
Weddin' bells ringin' like the swallows fly.
Sittin' on the front porch
Ringin', ringin',
Heart so full that I almost cry.

Sittin' on the front porch
Clingin', clingin',
Clingin' to a mem'ry--our last goodbye.
Sittin' on the front porch
Clingin', clingin'
Clingin' to a love that'll never die.

So what do you think? Is the last verse too melancholy, or is it poignant? I couldn't decide myself, and as I was thinking about sending this poem off to a magazine, I wanted another opinion. :D -Rachel
p.s. Sorry for lack of pretty photos in these past few posts. Blogger won't let me upload pictures, and it won't let me get off italic! *arghhh!* But I guess it's okay. Italic just seems to indicate "This is IMPORTANT!!!" when it isn't really that important! :P

2 comments:

Abigail said...

Aww, that's really sweet! It needs music, it's a song! And I like the last verse exactly how it is!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Abigail - it's a really great poem, but it could double as a song! Did you know you could write lyrics? :)

It's sweet and maybe a little bit melancholy - or maybe a better word is nostalgic - but I think it's lovely that way. :) Nice job, let us know what happens if you decide to send it to a magazine!