constructing poetry

to J. and E. and B. and all the rest

your words
are like a string of lanterns
marking the path from
a person with ideas
in his head, which someday
would be written,
to a writer—they give me hope
for my own words.
I follow you through
the years spent
writing on napkins at coffee shops
while mixing drinks between
sentences—I follow you
through the endless stamps
sending words out
into the aether,
hoping for discovery—I
follow you through the time
when the only people
still believing were your wife
and your mother, and even they
were more inclined to send you
to do laundry
than to your desk to write more.
we aren’t so different,
you and I, although I
stumble sometimes
as I follow your torch—
someday, perhaps, my lanterns will
burn brighter than yours—
but if so, it will be because
you gave me a path
that lead to the stars.

line count: 33

Prompt ▼

Prompt for: Feb 17 (Fyn/Ren)
Subject or Theme: Inspired by Chinese lanterns: are you the light for someone or is someone the light for you? Write about one, the other, or both.
Word(s) to Include: discover, laundry (or any derivatives of these words)
Forbidden Word(s): light, inspire, guide (or any derivatives of these words)
Additional Parameters: Minimum 16 lines.
Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description.