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Zag
Tired of his old title
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 Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 11:34 pm Post subject: 1 |
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My daughter was married yesterday. The weather in New England held out -- it was windy but the skies were blue -- for her outdoor ceremony. The groom is a fine young man that I am happy to know, and they are great together. The reception was a blast, with karaoke (that was how they became a couple) and some wild dancing. My brothers-in-law and I sang "Egg-sucking Dog," which has become a family tradition. Can you believe the DJ didn't have it?!? Classics like that?!? So we had to do it a capella.
Anyway, it was worth all the stress, and very nearly worth the cost (OMG!)
Part of the ceremony was to read a poem I wrote for my brother-in-law's wedding 13 years ago. At that wedding my wife (his sister) was asked to read a poem, but all the love poems she could find were (A) Unrequited Love, (B) Inappropriate for mixed company, or (C) they all die at the end. So I said that I would write a poem. They all rolled their eyes at the engineer writing a poem, but when it was done even my brother-in-law was forced to admit that it didn't suck. I'm rather proud of it, so here it is.
| Quote: |
A Love Poem
I saw an old man in the park,
on a warm morning,
sweet, and scented with summer grass.
His grey hair slipped down his forehead
each time he stooped to throw crumbs to the birds.
They hopped about him greedily,
pigeons bold, finches like frightened spots of gold.
His crumbs gone, he returned to the park bench
where an old woman gazed across the years
at the playground under the blue sky.
She whispered in the man’s ear,
pointing at a tousled head of blond.
The memory cracked a grin on his ancient face
as her smile flowed
into lines that spoke of a thousand smiles before.
“What is the secret?” I asked her.
She knew exactly what I meant,
even though I did not.
“Magic,” she said. “Search for it.
Look for it in a kiss goodbye
and a warm welcome home.
Look for it in knotted muscles
that relax beneath practiced fingers,
in two steaming mugs of cocoa,
a surprise on a cold night
in front of a crackling fire.
Look for it in loving whispers, angry shouts,
contented sighs, and sudden laughter
from a joke only the two of you can share.
Look at doors slammed in a midnight tempest
and doors opened, blooming with forgiveness
slowly, quietly, but with a gentle power.
Look for it in a letter sent from a battle in another land,
the ink already smeared with your own tears.
“The magic, it hides in stories of frustration,
of joy, of dreams, of fears, of courage, of glory, and of failure.
It hides in sweat-covered sheets and tear-stained pillows.
It hides in the changes that life brings:
a new job, a new house, a new friend, a new beginning.
It hides, always, in the cries of a new baby.
You share his first words, her first tooth,
his college graduation, her wedding day.
It hides where you watch grandchildren grow,
one visit at a time,
every year taller, every year another tiny one to see.
“Each change in your life
brings a change in yourselves.
You live, you grow,
independent, but ever more intertwined.
Tied together with shared smiles, shared meals,
shared sorrows, shared dreams, shared lives.
“Search for the magic.
Look for it in the shivers of an old man
too stubborn to wear a sweater.
Look for it in the toss of a breadcrumb,
aimed for a timid sparrow
who would otherwise go without.
Search for it in all the great things
and in all the ordinary things,
though you never will find it.
“Search. And as long as you search,
the magic will find you.”
Stephen Zagieboylo
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mps1453
Daedalian Member
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| Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 12:31 am Post subject: 2 |
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Aww, I didn't get invited to the bachelor party 
Congrats anyways 
_________________
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math. |
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Lepton*
Guest
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| Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: 3 |
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| Congratulations, my friend. The poem is really quite good. |
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Gaggle atkin
Icarian Member
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:54 am Post subject: 4 |
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| Uhh, congratulations Lepton, hopefully this will up my post count, been looking for random threads to post in. Heh, just kidding. Very deep poem man, I only wish I could posess the heart of that writing. |
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wordcross
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:28 am Post subject: 5 |
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lepton? Zag's daughter got married to Lepton? I thought he said it was a fine young man! 
_________________
Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like? |
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Courk
Daedalian Member
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:47 am Post subject: 6 |
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| Where have you been? Lepton *is* Zag's daughter. |
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Jack_Ian
Big Endian
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: 7 |
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| Things tend to get a little confusing that way when you live down south. |
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Zag
Tired of his old title
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:25 pm Post subject: 8 |
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All I really know about lepton is that he has excellent taste in poetry. |
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Lepton*
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: 9 |
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Any other daughters?  |
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Zag
Tired of his old title
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| Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: 10 |
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| Lepton* wrote: |
| Any other daughters? |
No, that was my only daughter -- she is 21 years old. I also have a son who is 23. He used to appear occasionally on these boards as Zag II, but has dropped that in favor Zahariel. |
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ChienFou
Leader of the pack
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:18 pm Post subject: 11 |
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I think Engineers can write good poetry. A good poem contains substantial design and Engineers are trained to do just this. Equally they are trained to write tersely and with great accuracy. My own poison is to write sonnets; it's as much about engineering the poem as anything. You have 140 syllables in a complex metre and rhyme scheme to express your thoughts.
This is an acrostic I wrote to the girl later to become my wife. It's an example of such engineering.
Maximising time we spent together
In expectation of our parting kiss
Etched onto my tumbling brain forever
Kinetic days we spent in Northern bliss
CF; Chartered Engineer. |
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