Description: Well, again, this isn't a poem that was newly made - but one I wrote a while back. It was after my first experience helping out at the old folks home. Blind and/or deaf people, living without their family, and the happiness I saw in their eyes just to hear a story was amazing. It's not the best write, I know, but it means alot to me. Please let me know what you think :).
A Happiness Long Forgotten -------------------------------------------
Like children they gathered
Side by side, in rows,
They opened their eyes to hear
The story never told.
One by one their lips
Had formed into a smile,
As my hands had moved about
In that old familiar style.
Many years were buried
In the wrinkles of their skin,
But the twinkles of pure heart
Had shone youth still left within.
The deaf had never heard
Such a beautiful song,
And the blind could finally see
What they dreamt of all along.
Like children they gathered
Side by side, in rows,
The world has forgotten
Of the happiness they know.
This is a beautiful Ode to our elders. I love this poem and it strikes a chord that is somewhat new to me. Sympathy is not something I feel very often but I feel sorry for those elderly people when you had to go that day. Fav.
your a kind person I can tell! I love what you stand for and helping people is the best gift a person can recive. Great poem and don't ever lose the child inside yourself. Kelley Frost
I really do love this one. It is so true about the smiles that appear on older peoples faces when we take a few moments just to sit and really talk/listen to them.
I know how it feels, oh boy do I. In high school we used to go and sing every winter to people in the old folks home. I never got a better feeling than when they would want us to sit and talk to them. Then after 4 hours of being there, they would beg us not to leave. They would tell us story after story and ask us to tell them some too.
I have volunteered at a nursing home before and it was one of the saddest experiences of my life. I loved being around the elderly but still when they told me their stories and when I saw their faces I had to use all of my willpower to stop the tears from coming to my face.
I heard many sad stories. Many people never chose to come to the nursing home. There was one woman who just woke up in the nursing home after she was taken to the hospital. When I came home that day I saw that time was precious, too precious to throw away or to let it fly by. I had to use whatever time I had because it might be gone.
I really enjoyed your poem and it reminded me of my experience at the nursing home. Thanks for bringing back that memory and for also reminding me of the great lessons that I learned that day.
hey beautiful girl i gotta say i really appreciated this write... not for the words chosen or the way it was presented but because i know the content REALLY well... before i came here to Ethiopia i worked in a rest home for 4 years and it was the most rewarding job i ever had... the stories of the old ladies were amazing and i couldnt understand why no one ever stopped long enough to hear them.. being young and working with the elderly is so awesome coz they have so much wisdom and things to impart if given the opportunity... sadly they rarely do... and the ones who have no family that come and visit them... the ones that seem to be completely forgotten by the world... they are the ones i spent most of my time with... i would always go and give them a kiss and see how theyre doing and all... i was like a surrogate grandaughter... so yeah... i wanna encourage you to keep your volunteering if possible... you have NO idea how much it means to the oldies and you have no idea how good it will be for you too... take care of you and bless you millions ciao for now Jaydee
You may say it's not "the best write," but I thought it was close. The words were put out very nicely, and the message was beautiful. Nowadays, people just write of things that interest them (and, sadly to say, I do include myself in that), so I'm more interested to read a piece dedicated to other people.
Being a Grammar Nazi, I carefully scrutinized this and found only one spelling mistake: "Many years were burried," where "burried" needs to be "buried." That's the only thing I think you should change, but I'm sure you just carelessly added an extra "s" without noticing.
This piece contains such mature stature, even though you present it in a rather simple way. Your lack of fancy words and shortened lines makes it a very pleasant read. Sorry I couldn't be of more help; this poem deserves a lot of praise!
As I read this, it just kept getting better! I love it. Especially the way you repeated the beginning of the first stanza but changed the last lines. My favorite part:
The deaf had never heard Such a beautiful song, And the blind could finally see What they dreamt of all along.
And actually the ending rang so true that I just have to include it in my comment:
The world has forgotten Of the happiness they know
We worry so much about the things that are wrong in life that we miss the joy of living. Sometimes we have to slow down and remember the wonderful euphoria that the simple things can bring.
The title perfectly describes the content of this piece. I wasn’t as interested at first because I didn’t know what it was about (I read descriptions last), but that was my fault because reading on, it’s obvious. It’s funny how something that starts out seeming mediocre (perhaps because I am often too quick to judge) becomes a favorite. And that is certainly where this piece belongs. Thanks for this post!
i know what you mean. my mom and i used to visit a retirement home and we would sit and talk with the people there and hopefully brighten their day.
there was one lady we always used to visit. she was the sweetest old lady i have ever met. she was almost legally blind and she loved it when my mom and i came to visit her. she gave me her number and told me to call her. shes dead now. which makes me sad but this poem just reminds me of that.
its so cute how people can make other people so happy with the simplest things in the world. they just want the company of other people. they want to feel loved. ahw. lol its just so cute lol...sorry.
anyways i liked this a lot because it reminded me of that lady we used to visit.
Submission Name: A Happiness Long Forgotten
