The Pendulum Swings
Do not let the pendulum strike you
As you rush to the nearest fad,
The pendulum swings and it will smack you
As it swoops on its backward swing.
Stand firm, defend the differences,
Enjoy the beauty in each,
Do not be a gad.
Each hour has its gifts
While style and form do change
As with your clothes,
Each ticks true to the norm,
Each clock holds true to
Standards
Both can live in the same room…..
So,
Do not ride the pendulum,
Do not exclude the past,
The clock holds the standard
And the fads change all too fast.
The pendulum swings,
The pendulum swings.
[the pendulum swings over to rhyme
[the pendulum swings back to free
[the pendulum hovers over blank
[and it trips all over its metric feet
[it swings to iambic, it swings to rhyme
[every poet is a product of his time…]
So stop the pendulum’s rhythmic swinging,
Keep your own time but dance to other tunes,
Find your own path, be it forests or dunes,
March to your drummer, you don’t have to be ‘winging’.
Choices
Each one a fad, each leaves the others behind;
Alas what loss; how much more enriched
The pantheon of poets when all can take to the stage
Together, to present a concert of voices,
Rhythms and tones, a richness of choices.
If you stay with one fad too long
You’ll soon be outdated
And your friends who’ve moved on
Will wave you g’bye with a cheery “so long”
Fads have a definition and that is short term,
They come and they go like many a germ,
And while some of them come for a quick return,
It’s usually to others, and they quickly burn.
In fact, poetry, too, has its faddish aspect,
Ye olden dayes’ poets set up some fine rules,
Then others came by and broke all of their rules,
And so no rhymes and no reason and no respect.
So don’t jump on a fad
And don’t stick with it
Join if for fun
And learn what is bad
Keep what is good
And move on with that
But always and ever
Keep your compass
Near by
You’re gonna need it
When you try to fly
The pendulum swings,
The pendulum sings,
The pendulum’s rhythm
Seduces with charism,
The pendulum swings,
The pendulum swings.
—
And so do these verses.
AND, that goes for people too, not just poets. The pendulum definitely swings in life, especially for family care givers and their charges. Fads not included. But that’s a different story. Today is for time off.
CREDIT: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Pendulum-573175404
