Poem for April 5 plus thoughts

April 5, 2013 How does one choose a theme for a poem? It seems like most of the time I just wait for the theme to choose me, or I just start playing with a thought or a word and see what develops. Much depends on my mood, on whether the sun is shining and the air is warm (which does not mean a cold snowy day is depressing – far from it). Sometimes I am inspired by or intrigued with a blurb on the news or a line from a book. Sometimes my thoughts are highly personal, other times they are absorbed by lofty ideals or colossal failures. Now and then I am sad, and I write about it. Most of the time I am happy, and often bemused, and I write about that. There are times when your soul dwells in a dark place. That needs expression just as much as, if not more than, the joy around you. Most of those times, you can say with a wry smile, “Just visiting.” //THERE IS, THERE IS //Pirates and dragons and silly old men //take up my time while they play with my pens. //Magic folk hiding from the uninspired //dance furious jigs in my head ‘til I’m tired //and cannot abate them, nor to do so I yearn, //for it is in their lands where I travel and learn. //Drink, merry old elf in your red suit and tie, //climb on your dragon, away! and don’t cry //that we have forgotten the image we caught, //‘cause some among us still cling to the thought //and travel in nightshades we must until dawn //knowing you linger, forgotten, not gone.