Redemption

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I discovered the original version of this poem in a drawer while collating a collection in 2007; it was dated May 1979, only months before I had a nervous breakdown from which it would take me a few years to recover. 

Regular readers will know that I often revise poems, sometimes only slightly, sometimes drastically, but always significantly. This doesn't mean I lack confidence in a poem at the time, only that my perception of whatever feelings prompted me to write the poem in the first place have changes or at east shifted. Many poems in my early collections were  written long before I achieved any level of maturity as a poet although not all have been subsequently revised. I have no regrets about publishing them, though, if only because this maturation (an ongoing process) fascinates me; hopefully, readers might find it - as well as the poems - of interest too. 

Meanwhile...

By all means let’s reach for the stars…but be sure not to strive so hard that we miss what is under our very noses.

REDEMPTION

Wishing on a star 

in our loneliest hour;

empathy with a sad moon

for hope gone

Searching a rainbow

for a kinder tomorrow;
chasing a playful sunbeam

in a daydream

Reaching for a sky

that would have us cry;
make merry with songbirds, 
learning the words

Making a fresh start

on Main Street, play a part 
in what makes the world turn,
no need to run

Letting imagination

realise its own redemption
for giving nature and humanity
a shared reality

Seeking peace of mind,

where sceptical humankind

makes of any promises and trust
but handfuls or dust 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2007; 2018

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears under the title 'Handfuls of Dust' in Accomplices to Illusion by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2007.]