He did not so much abandon me, as himself.
His rage blew out of places that had never known life.
So quickly he turned from 'Daddy' into Father,
the cold and distant, angry 'god the Father'—
One evening at the theater, he turned to me,
Muttering, 'You're a dreamer! ', spitting out contempt.
Yes, a dreamer—with no solid ground to stand on,
nothing to make a world from, but dreams.
The world comes out of Mother and extends to Father.
That's all the child knows of solid ground.
If it's not solid, he falls in an abyss.
From there, it's true, his only hope's in dreams;
and thus is born a madman or an artist.
Interesting that he said that at the theater, a place where you go to see other people's dreams.
Max, we who enjoy your artistic spirit thank God that you are a dreamer. I find it interesting to see how many poets and composers had extremely unsettled relationships with either one or both parents. Perhaps then is when we turn to find satisfaction in dreams. I still haven't posted anything about my father but perhaps I will soon. Thanks for this poem. Raynette
Max, This is a fine poem. It aims for the pain and hits the mark. I like poems that I can understand quickly like this one. I would cut the words 'spitting out contempt, ' however. They only serve to explain what is painfully clear in the preceding words. Gets a ten from me.
I like this poem a lot, Max. I am enjoying reading all your poems one by one...and I love your website.
all the peers can't be wrong, Max. It's an amazing piece of writing. Jerry
I like it, Max. Depth of emotions are clear and strong, as is the message. It's a bit on the wordy side, but not so as to detract from the work. Good job.
This is inspirational, Max. I agree that the 'spitting out contempt' line might need tweaking. In all, it's a really strong poem and well written.
I totally agree, this is a very powerful poem and brilliantly done too.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
tried, convicted and sentenced as a dreamer... this is great work. salut.