WHY POETRY

                                                            WHY POETRY


I often wonder, when my frazzled mind is cursed
why someone like me has persevered and become
a spinner of words in meter, rhyme and sweet verse
instead of creating factual thoughts in the sun.

In school I studied and learned the art of earth’s wealth
and with strength and mind in technical things that dealt
with skills of safety and paddling rivers my self
and worked in industry and army things I felt.

My sojourns in earth’s unsafe deserts, where I toiled
to improve Army logistics and function well
in freezing Eastern Europe’s mountains of turmoil
and make Army implements operate in Hell.  

Or braving wild rivers with paddle and canoe
In waters turbulent, white laced, roaring and blue,
daring survival with body and skills I knew,  
make me long to craft gentle verse; a rhyme or two?

It seems that intricate, technical living paths
are what I was meant to follow, and, with skill, do,
to resolve hardened issues, problems bringing wrath
to humanity in the world, both old and new.

So why is it verse’s philosophy I love,
the way it caresses my soul, my aged heart,
the intoxication of perceived thoughts above
the madness of mans’ fermented dreams of scribed art.

My mind so loves the beauty of the uttered word,
its sensual tales, treasures, passion, wit and flow,
as cool, riffling brooks my delving mind has to ford
while reasoned thoughts of life to maturity grows.   

Poetry gives the technical heart a sweet song
to sing while thriving in a rationalized world,
a song with mental caresses that cures all wrongs
sung with humankinds’ impassioned banners unfurled.

Rose 207                                                            Fritz Crytzer
                                                                            April 2022