The Perfect Poemby Angela Lansbury
Written (on Feb 27 2015) for World Poetry Day MARCH 21 (established by UNESCO to promote the spoken word.)
I'll unfold for you words in your mind's scroll
Fit for every person in every place
Which speaks even to those who know no words
Like a baby's smile lights each passing face
Link to the deaf, speak with beckoning hands
Turn delicate fingers which flow, sway, stop
Lead loud applause for a worthy cause
Make you tap feet, Mexican wave, roll, rock
See the world in mothers' or mentors' hands
Watch the sea froth white, cleaning gold, shell sands
Like jigsaws of palms lean neat when complete
You're a small, vital piece in life's dance plans.
***
Illustrations:
scroll
smiling baby
deaf language translation
oriental dancer's hands
Jigsaw of palm trees
A chorus line (movie B Berkeley?) and a circular dance (Hindu)
My first line was originally
I would like to write for you my best poem ...
I thought that might grab every would be poet or poetry teacher, and suit the day.
My second thought was that this sounded to simple and prosaic and self-centred. I should paint a picture, use a metaphor.
I thought of calligraphy, but the syllables were too long. What image of a writer, a finger, a quill - too old-fashioned. Scroll was a short, one syllable word. Also added an air of elegance. It was something you could imaging. Also something you could illustrate.
See the whole world in kind mentor's hands - I changed to
the world in your mother's or mentor's hands
You're a small, vital piece in life's dance plans.
My second draft reads
Your day's vital piece dances in life's plans.
The new version was more interesting but a tongue twister, too complicated to say and not a clear message at the end so I returned to the original version.
Next step is to improve the rhythm.
I have time between now and March 21st - in fact the rest of my life. Suggestions for improving the rhythm by shifting the order of the words or changing words and phrases to synonyms will be welcome
