Friday, January 11, 2013

Harbinger




Harbinger

by Andrew Romero

Haste the day the harbinger comes
With songs of loyalty and triumph
The sounds of life exude pain
The silence of existence is eternal

Death saddles his horse
At the living’s lamentation
He rides unto the cradle
Listening for Ataturk

Upon release he kneels
In respect for the deceased
At this he takes them within his bosom
Thrashing they vie for life

His icy embrace calms their tenacious fire
The horseman rides on
To father time, with emptied hourglass
Onwards he rides unto oblivion


Copyright 2012 Andrew Romero 

My son Andrew recently turned 18 and will graduate from high school this year.  Sigh...expect to see some nostalgic mama writes from me.  He writes poetry and wrote this piece a few months ago.  Also, he predicted, on the day of the Super Bowl last year, that the Seahawks would play in the Super Bowl this year.  Poet and possibly prophet?  Proud mama, no doubt.

44 comments:

Unknown said...

and a proud mama you SHOULD be!

Janet Martin said...

Handsome and talented. this is SO good. Doesn't it make you smile when you can connect with them this way? I would be proud too.

Wendy Bourke said...

The harbinger/horseman image, I love. Very Middle Earth and mystical; and would have enjoyed exploring that a bit myself. But I think that is one of those themes for youth, who have much more of a stake in what is and what may be and what could be. There's a lot to ponder here. Lyrical and lovely lines. "The sounds of life exude pain The silence of existence is eternal" - profound and really resonates. Well done.

Jennifer Wagner said...

He makes it easy...thanks Steph!

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you very much :-) It is such a cool blessing to be able to connect with him in this for sure.

Jennifer Wagner said...

He is going to love your comment Wendy. I do think you are right about the theme...perfect for the age. And it conjures up all that bit of fantasy and history that I enjoy too.

Brian Miller said...

to father time with an empty hourglass....very cool line that....nice...its so cool when our kids write poetry too...it is interesting the theme as well as it allows you to see what weighs on the hearts of this generation...and nice on the prediction as well..

Jennifer Wagner said...

The 'father time' line is my favorite of the piece. It really is cool to get a glimpse of things through their eyes. I am so often marveling. And go Hawks! :)

Anonymous said...

I agree with the "Middle Earth" comment. Growing up, I read high fantasy quite often, and this really captured those mythic tones.

Lisa A. Williams said...

What a great poem, love the mythic implications as well. My youngest daughter will be graduating next year, that really tugs at my heart. They grow so fast.

Abin Chakraborty said...

kudos and congrats.here's hoping to see more lovely poems from both...

rch said...

Very good, reminds me of some fantasy stuff I've read over the years, quite mature. Tell him congrats!

Laura said...

This is a challenging time from both mamma and son... pride and grieving miss for what has passed, for the unknown mystery the horseman will travel into. My daughter graduated from high school last year and is now in college. I still cry after she goes back from school breaks... I'm proud of her, happy she is happy with her "new" life... but always a bit sad to watch her go.

Laura said...

My daughter started college this fall... it is a challenging time of change... pride yes, and grieving... especially for mamma.

LLM Calling said...

something so sad yet energetic.in this, and yes,very middle earth

Mary said...

Isn't it great to see your son writing poetry, following in your footsteps? I would be thrilled (as I know you are)! That last stanza is really stunning!

Anonymous said...

Lovely write. Proud mama moment ....indeed you deserve it!

ScottlB said...

"to father time with an empty hourglass" This line stands out to me, a really wonderful write.

Serena said...

I like the image of death saddling his horse... you should be proud. How exciting to have a son who writes poetry!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

I love the empty hourglass line so much, too. A fantastic poem. Wonderful that he writes poetry, too - and so well! A time of big change, for sure - but it looks like you have done a fantastic job. Look at his open, confident happy face. Andrew, keep shining!

Panchali said...

Wow...isn't it something to be proud of...Congo!

aelfbee said...

I read this to my kids and it resonated with them both; I liked it as well, especially the thrashing followed by the calm. We do want to know, is Andrew's Ataturk the historic "Father of the Turks" or a middle mythic earthian?

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Jack, I think he captured that well too.

Jennifer Wagner said...

They do grow up so quickly...I often find myself wondering 'how did we get here?'

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank so much Abin, your words are encouraging. :-)

Jennifer Wagner said...

Oh I know I will be there soon right along with you!

Jennifer Wagner said...

I do feel that too...

Jennifer Wagner said...

It makes my heart smile! Thanks Mary!

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you very much Kiana! :)

Jennifer Wagner said...

I'm going to have to point him to your blog Tatius...I do believe he would enjoy your style.

Jennifer Wagner said...

'Death saddles his horse' is my second fav line of the piece! I love being able to talk about poetry with him and read his stuff. It's so fun!

Jennifer Wagner said...

Sometimes I feel like, wow, my kids are actually turning out to be great men...inspite of me! Thanks so much Sherry.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Panchali! :-)

Jennifer Wagner said...

So cool you shared it with your kids! Yes Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of Turkey...Andrew read your comment and I think he is going to respond with more detail. Thanks Libby, really enjoyed your piece this week--gave me a big grin :)

Eileen T O'Neill ..... said...

A superb piece of writing for a boy who has not yet fully stepped out upon the path of life. Great expectations ahead I would think.

Eileen

Sarav said...

An excellent poem! You have every right to be a proud mama--thank you for sharing with us :-) Can completely relate to how the time flies--my youngest just moved out. Wow, where did it go?

Jennifer Wagner said...

A wonderful compliment Eileen!

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks for commenting on it Sara! Can't believe how quickly the time does go...

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

A fine-looking and talented lad!

Jennifer Wagner said...

He is, isn't he?

Unknown said...

He inherited your talent, clearly.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks Kim. :)

Romero said...

Actually yes, my Ataturk is one and the same. I found him very inspirational in the writing of this poem. I was researching Lamentations (the meaning of the word not the bible book.) And while doing so I found that Ataturk's last words were "It is time." Which also inspired my entire last stanza.

Romero said...

Thanks for all the compliments everyone! They mean a lot to me. I hope to start writing more often and continue my blog.