R.M. Bailey

I'm a bit of a romantic. Ok, a big one. I can't help it; I'm a sucker for Jane Austen novels, sappy movie endings, and poetry. I love reading Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, and one of my favorites, E.E. Cummings. His poems are so simple and intimate, and I have to admit I have tried  to imitate him once or twice.

Here's one I wrote my senior year of high school.

If I were given but one more day,
To bring back your smiles and fears keep at bay,
I'd take you away to the edge of unknown,
Away from reality and struggles we'll have flown.

We'd dance on the moonbeams and sleep in the stars,
Waltz in the meadows and wipe away scars,
Fall away into sunsets and tiptoe through dreams,
No longer care about life and messy seams.

We'd sing to the flowers and tickle the sea,
Whisper secrets to owls, offer one last plea,
Drift off into shadows and acknowledge the truth,
The beauty once lost ne'er recovered in youth.

It's not quite as good as Cummings, but to be fair, it's one of my first dabblings in poetry. Anyways, here's the real thing.


You Are Tired (I Think)

You are tired,
(I think)
Of the always puzzle of living and doing;
And so am I.

Come with me, then,
And we’ll leave it far and far away
(Only you and I, understand!)

You have played,
(I think)
And broke the toys you were fondest of,
And are a little tired now;
Tired of things that break, and
Just tired.
So am I.

But I come with a dream in my eyes tonight,
And I knock with a rose at the hopeless gate of your heart
Open to me!
For I will show you places Nobody knows,
And, if you like,
The perfect places of Sleep.

Ah, come with me!
I’ll blow you that wonderful bubble, the moon,
That floats forever and a day;
I’ll sing you the jacinth song
Of the probable stars;
I will attempt the unstartled steppes of dream,
Until I find the Only Flower,
Which shall keep (I think) your little heart
While the moon comes out of the sea.

E.E. Cummings


Sigh. It's beautiful isn't it? It's like eating chocolate mousse, curling up in a blanket next to a fireplace, or giving someone a big hug. Beautiful.