Today‘s poem is a thought provoking treat written by the
very talented poet. . . David L Byrn (1934-2018). Mr. Byrn was a native Arizonan,
who wrote over 1700 poems, has won numerous awards for his creations. He, also, had an impressive professional education career. This obituary lists his
numerous achievements. . . .
I came across this poem in a signed copy of his book entitled
“Gathering the Faded Days”. It appears
to be a self-published, staple bound edition that is not currently in print. A
Google search for poems by this author yielded only a used copy of one of his books
containing children’s poems.
I was very moved by the underlining thought of this poem
and I’m presenting it here for your enjoyment and as a tribute to this talented
poet.
**********
Beneath the
surface of everyday me
There are layers
and layers you cannot see
Veneers of
darkness, mirrors of light
Coatings of
pleasure, corners of fright
Look at me
closely, the layers won’t show
My words and my
actions will not let you know
Sheets of
rejoicing, slabs of despair
Coverings frail
and elusive as air
Layers applied
with a soft, gentle touch
Tender reminders
of lovers and such
Layers forged
harshly and pounded to stay
Beaten with
hammers and hidden away
Layers from
infancy, bitter and sweet
Layers that
childhood insisted I meet
Layers acquired by
the passage of years
Layers of
misunderstandings, of fears
Layers on layers
to satisfy needs
Laid against
layers of passions and greeds
Layers and layers
of loving and trust
Laid over layers
of remnants and dust
Layers and layers
and layers . . . . .
You see . . . . .
If you don’t know
my layers
How can you know me?
How do you follow a poem like that? Just a thought . . . . As we go through life, every event, every experience, every person we meet, changes us in some way. At any given time we are the product of our inherited genes as tweaked by all the above modifiers. Tomorrow, we will be a slightly different person.
After you have read the above poem, you WILL be a slightly different person.
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