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PAPPAW'S LESSON
When just a tiny girl was I,
I had a hunger to learn,
To know the answers to questions
To score 100 on tests,
A score of A's to earn.
My Pappaw would ask me a question,
I was smart and proud to know,
And quickly I'd toss back the answer,
To hear his approving "That's SO!"
And then I'd bask in his glow.
As I was in adolescence,
My Pappaw stepped up my quest,
To teach it was not always knowledge,
That made people the best.
Quite a shock was Pappaw's new test.
I learned to rethink the quick answers,
That were written down in books,
I learned to notice people,
And their hidden, furtive looks.
Pappaw's wisdom was all that it took.
He had a whole string of questions,
That taught me to stop and think,
No longer his swift approval,
That came as swift as a wink.
To more questions some answers did link.
"Yes, but WHY?", and "Are you sure?",
"But what if..." he would reply to me.
Puzzled, I would seek more answers,
And soon I learned to see.
That's the gift my Pappaw gave me.
I believe in a firm right or wrong,
I know there are truths and lies,
There are some shades of meaning,
To be found in another soul's eyes.
The facts, the truth sometimes belies.
Pappaw finished his journey years and years ago,
But he left me with the burning,
Of always wanting to know,
Not only the facts in life's books,
But also what Truth might show.
Now, there is not time to worry,
About the acing of any test,
It is not about the last curtain,
It's about staying true to the quest,
As Pappaw would say, "That's best."
Humans are more than equations,
They are bundles of joy and need,
They are laughter and tears and confusion,
They are touching creatures indeed.
"Grant me kindness" to the Powers, I plead.
Oh yes, the facts are powerful,
We all should struggle to KNOW,
And yet it requires more than facts,
For Wisdom inside you to grow,
Every hour brings a new test, you know.
~Angelia~ (Arti31944@aol.com)
©
2003
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JANUARY 2003 ~POETRY~
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