My Father Was a Poet
POETRY FORMAT, 22 Jul 2019
Emanuel E. Garcia – TRANSCEND Media Service
of course he didn’t write anything
in any way resembling a poem,
his signature was barely legible,
his words were few
occasionally he turned a phrase
that made me turn my head,
but that was rare
I think it was the memory of the light
on some long ago afternoon
hovering between amber and grey,
this strange light on the familiar creases,
on his impassive face and its stubble:
I’d caught him lost in music that day
when the song was through
I watched his long and elegant fingers
do nothing, rest, offer me some bread
casually: we ate in silence,
his eyes traveled somewhere,
somewhere else
only now I feel such poetry,
in silence, across the spaces of an epoch,
as I stir my coffee, contemplate my pen
in the fading amber glow of the coming night
July 2019
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Dr. Emanuel E. Garcia is a Philadelphia-born writer, theatrical director, physician, and a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He resides in New Zealand since 2006 and his political essays and poetry have appeared widely on various websites and publications including TMS. His most recent novel is the comic tale of accountants, artists and astrophysicists in New York entitled Manhattan Stardust. Website: www.emanuelegarcia.com. Email: emanuelegarcia@gmail.com.
Tags: Poetry
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 22 Jul 2019.
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“Memorable speech” is how W. H. Auden defined poetry. Once again, Emanuel E. Garcia delivers a seemingly simple poem–simply stated–with complex dimensions.
We rarely appreciate the deeper emotions and the textures of sensitivity of even those closest to us. We are caught up in the hubbub of life; and yet, unforgettable impressions are made: impressions that can still nourish and enlighten us years later.