Candy In The Forest
Candy In The Forest
If you never walked in the forest
after smoking green leaves, or
connected, side by side, friend on
friend, smelling sweet sweat,
soft sweetness of the soil, or rolled
around in high grass, removed
your clothes to swim nude in a
lake, picked dead dandelions for
a friend –
Then you will not dream about it,
or pretend to know.
If you never hitch-hiked on a road
where cars seldom traveled, or never
pulled pack your thumb, back to your
fingers, lowered your arm after a
car sped by, but smiled when your
legs tired, smiled when you were
hungry, smiled at nothing but laughed
at everything you heard. . .
Then, you will not dream about it,
or pretend to know.
If you never knew Whitman’s Leaves
of Grass – or focused on what it told
you. . .
Then, you will not dream about it,
or pretend to know.
It wasn’t a piece of candy or a
delicate slice of fudge, or a box in
deeper shades of yellow, with names
of things to come, but a vision,
an image of knowing and still living.
Then you will dream about it and know.
Did some, not all but can relate to this prose and will dream. Enjoyed!
Paula I am so sorry I haven’t answered many of my responses from the fall through the winter due to work. I am so pleased you enjoyed this, it was quite interesting for those who heard it read once they did understand Walt Whitman and the Yellow box of candy LOL Have a wonderful week, Nancy
So hard to accept that about people and what can be known and not. Beautiful poem. Thanks.
How in the Hell did you get this past anyone with a 3rd grade education? Grammar is important. It just damn well is.
Strange how people read poetry, since prose/poetry/poetic memoir are looked at differently. This, as you well know, is about the sixties. The prose poem has no rules when it comes to dashes, line spaces, and other things people practice with formal poetry. It is the freedom of the word – and it catches many people in a universal way. Sincerely, Nancy
The prose of shared memories is one of the oldest. I can’t remember how many I have done, but now I feel like the answer is all! Love it!
How long ago did you write this? LOL I was going through the many posts and found your note. Thanks Claudette. I figured you would enjoy this piece. Of Candy in the Forest… although it isn’t CA. If thoughts could travel from cell to cell, I might say, praise those who know enough to speak out, and do… Always, Nancy