IMAGE OF EARTH AND QUILL

Featured Guest Poet Jude Goodwin-Hanson



Blessed

He smiles we smile 
and smiling click 
our forks and tongues 
and sip our soup

He speaks then stops 
and so we sit 
and nod inclined our eyes enslit

He has a gun it smokes 
and gleams 
and rests beside his plate of greens

He laughs and tosses 
gun and spoons and soon 
the baby's laughing too

Just having fun 
and spending time 
He watches me - I sip my wine

He watches me 
and licks my face 
I dare not move from his embrace

Ho Ho! the baby claps 
and wraps 
her fists around her daddy's gun

He smiles we smile 
and smiling sit 
A family blessed! 
So tightly knit -


June, 2002

Jude Goodwin-Hanson's Questions:

1. What feeling(s) does this poem bring forth? I am looking for immobilizing fear.

2. Is there cadence?


This poem did invoke a strong element of fear...and a little confusion. All in all it was wonderfully done!
B. Taylor
USA - Mon Jul 8 13:53:42 2002

Jude, Yes, I was quite taken aback as I worked my way to the end of your piece. The scene was all too real!!! Yiks! I couldn't move...so immobilized with the thought of the babies hand around that gun. We are all surrounded by scenes such as this on a daily basis in the news unfortunately...violence as hard cold steel in the midst of family/community. Cadence---yes, a rhythm for sure...thought of a nursery rhyme of two that I remember from reading to my children. Thank you for sharing.
Mary Alice Long <aplife@launchnet.com>
Nevada City, CA USA - Wed Jul 10 14:54:26 2002

Readers: You may wish to contact Jude Goodwin-Hanson privately with your ideas about this poem.