Jude Lally is a regular fixture in the Lexington poetry community. He’s the only poet Accents has published twice (not counting Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short Poems or this blog, of course). And while he’s not especially old for an established poet, he’s experienced his fair share of obstacles. Having to live with Friedrich’s Ataxia (a rare neuromuscular disease) has inspired a lot of strength and heavily influences his work.
So when I asked for a writing prompt, Jude responded with his usual mixture of inspiration and dark comedy:
Here are a couple ideas off the top of my head:
one prompt could be Tolerance and another one could be Greed—one virtue, one vice, I like that.
Feel free to use either (or both!) of those ideas to get writing. After all, the best way to get better is through practice.
Post your poems in the comment. And if you see someone else’s you like, let them know!
Jude Lally writes and recites poetry as an outlet for his creative needs and as a means of enlightening, inspiring, engaging and entertaining listeners. Fortunately, Jude’s main source of inspiration in his writing is easily accessible; unfortunately, so many places in the world are not: in 1998 Jude was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative neuromuscular disease called Friedrich’s Ataxia. Jude received a BA in Business Administration in May of 2006. Jude is a member of the poetry group Poezia, occasionally attends The Poet’s Supper and the Artcroft writer’s group outside of Carlisle, KY, and is a regular presenter at the Holler Poets series events.
More from Jude Lally:
- The View from Down Here (2010), Accents Publishing
- I’m Fine, but Thanks for Asking (2012), Accents Publishing
- Lexington Poetry Month 2013 submissions
The word “tolerance” prompted my sending this poem. Most people don’t understand individuals who have autism. I had to learn quickly.
The Gift of a Grandson
“Who was this little boy I was meeting?” I asked myself.
He extended his right hand, and said, “Hi, my name is Kyle.”
I brought him a Teddy Bear.
“Daddy,” she said in a serious tone. “We’re going to adopt Kyle.”
From that moment on, our lives were different, better, blessed.
He was only eight years old, but he knew how to light up a room.
We’ve tried to make up for those times before he came into our family.
We poured out our love.
At times he seemed so far away like being lost in a morning fog,
deep in thought. He’s just trying to make sense of the world
around him. His brain is essentially wired differently than most.
He has autism, and we had much to learn.
He takes things literally, like the time when we were playing Star Wars,
and I told him my middle name was Jedi. He was Luke Skywalker,
and I had to be Darth Vader. He Loved food, but usually wore
as much as he ate. He asked many questions thinking I had all the answers.
I taught him how to add by using chess pieces as counters.
He taught me how to play and be a kid again.
We took him to his first rodeo, and on his first train ride. Together, we rode
an elephant at the circus. On Halloween, we went from house to house
as Frodo and Gandalf. We traveled to Disney’s Magic Kingdom,
and I saw the sparkle in his eye.
\We watched him play soccer, and cheered him on at weightlifting competitions
at Special Olympics. Celebrating birthdays and Christmas was exceptional.
Each year, he takes part in our tradition of reading of the Christmas story
from the Bible. We watched his excitement as he opened his presents.
We celebrated his adoption at church, and I had the privilege of baptizing him.
Time has moved on quickly. He’s older now, has graduated
from high school, and is in the work force. We still vacation together,
and I still take my role as granddaddy seriously.
No gift that I could ever give him could begin to compare
with what he has given me: himself, his love.
What a wonderful gift: my grandson.
Thanks for the poem! I especially like imagining Frodo and Gandalf trick-r-treating.
I have been playing with syllable count, line count: Is there a certain number of lines and syllables to convey certain ideas more strongly, i.e. does the count best convey the message more strongly while giving structural assistance to the poet (i.e., me)? This poem uses what I call a “square” format, 4 syllables per line, 4 lines per stanza, 4 stanzas. I am going for a very “symmetrical” construction here,reason in opposition to the unreasonable response to exposed greed. I now want to use the same prompt with a pair of “complimentary” but contrasting ideas, such as “ruins” vs. “beauty”. The opposition of these has always fascinated me, such as the poem “Ozymandias” by Shelley, or “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by Keats, “ancient” and “beauty” become synonyms to one another (!) in bitter sweetness. Thank you for the prompt, I enjoyed it greatly. I am a stroke survivor so travel is not easy (who am I to tell you) but the internet is such a gift! Thank you again, Roger Conner
Greed, in the form of self righteous diatribe.
Screens so vivid
show everything,
children in Chad
starving so fast.
The cars so fast,
houses so vast,
the pools so cool,
fountains so pure.
Egypt ablaze,
liberals rage.
greed is profuse,
I am aloof.
My belly full,
greed is your shame.
You created this,
you take the blame.
Roger Conner
Pingback: Alumni network
Pingback: FiverrEarn
Pingback: Generator Repair Manchester
Pingback: cheap sex cams
Pingback: live sex cams
Pingback: live sex cams
Pingback: live sex cams
Pingback: live sex cams
Pingback: live sex cams
Pingback: frt trigger
Pingback: 늑대닷컴
Pingback: Bandar judi online
Pingback: nangs delivery sydney
Pingback: mobile app developer
Pingback: Makeup sets
Pingback: aplikasi slot
Pingback: hotel in windham ny
Pingback: hotel on lake placid
Pingback: 17 wsm
Pingback: weight loss injection
Pingback: ecole informatique lyon
Pingback: soc cybersécurité
Pingback: deux categorie de logiciels malveillants malware
Pingback: nangs Sydney
Pingback: nangs sydney
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: talk with strangers
Pingback: teen chat
Pingback: flirt for free
Pingback: talk to random people
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: itsmasum.com
Pingback: kashmir hub
Pingback: boston jobs
Pingback: uk job opportunities
Pingback: hyderabad jobs
Pingback: africa jobs central
Pingback: canada jobs
Pingback: free cam sex
Pingback: sex chat
Pingback: webcam girls
Pingback: Kampus Ternama
Pingback: french bulldog puppies for sale in texas
Pingback: Queen Arwa University EDURank
Pingback: Queen Arwa University ROR ID: 03ygqq617
Pingback: Kuliah Online
Pingback: 918kiss
Pingback: pg slot
Pingback: 918kiss
Pingback: ItMe.Xyz
Pingback: itme.xyz
Pingback: itme.xyz
Pingback: ItMe.Xyz
Pingback: masumintl
Pingback: ItMe.Xyz
Pingback: view discounts
Pingback: Best URL Shortener To Make Money
Pingback: MasumINTL