Lit

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By lenchenelf

Mon, 25 Aug 2025
  • 697 reads
23 comments
 

Jack, be nimble

Jack be quick.

Jack jump over the candlestick….

 

Demands come thick, and fast

for a first born

 

wight weight

to shoulders from birth.

 

We frostglaze our deficits

lay success on yours

 

nimble limbed, quick of mind

you rise

 

to wrest those questions

suppressed, in foggy chimes

 

by time

 

to eat, to sleep to learn

to do The Right Thing

 

be more than beckoned to

by an Ice-cream van tinkle

or a sprinkle of glitter

of screens scrolled into view

 

to ask

Why do we do, what we do?

 

Certificate U
Poem
Love

Comments

Submitted by Ewan on

 just beautiful.

E x

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

from a measured and excellent poet.

Ta Ewan

Best

Lena

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

my posts are duplicating here!

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

A lovely grandson doodle.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

you are always charming and kind in appraisal

best

Lena

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Love both the word-sound and meaning of

"be more than beckoned to

by an Ice-cream van tinkle

or a sprinkle of glitter"

there must be so many, many questioning "why do we do, what we do?" these terrible days

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

So very kind of you to notice!  So pleased you liked it

Best

Lena x

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Echoing Ewan's wise words.

Sometimes if there's a slow connection, or a break in connection things do get duplicated Lena - it's just one of those things

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

Thought it was me being a dozy b*gger typing with two fingers as per:)

cheers 

Lena x

 

Submitted by celticman on

we do what we do cause we do (Jack) 

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

I don't think that explanation for the muck up we've made of Earth, and what we now expect of them is going to escape further interrogation from all grandchildren :)

Jacks of all ages are particularly inquisitivewink

Best as ever

Lena x

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

This wise and beautiful poem from lenchenelf is Pick of the Day! Please do share if you can

Lena, please change the image if you want to. It is from here :
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winter_Glitter_(5293708145).jpg

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

Very kind and unexpected!

Pic fine, I like the gradient of grey :)

Best as ever

Lena x

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I hope the new Jacks of this world make a better job of it than we have done, for new Jack's sake.

A beautiful poem to go with a beautiful event.

Welcome Jack. 

Turlough

Submitted by lenchenelf on

 Youngest grandson is seven, a thoughtful Jesuits no, all three of them dynamic; though force of nature is no. four, and she's fierce :)

Best

Lena

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

Very kind of you indeed!

Best

Lena

 

Submitted by Caldwell on

Nothing like a fresh 'why' to something you've always taken for granted. Sometimes the question is so profound that there is no clear answer, or the answer may be something you're too protective to give a full answer to. But often, for a child, the why can be answered by some clever illustrations in a Richard Scarry book. Some of the best explanations can be found there. 

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

for a sweet comment Caldwell, though burden of tonnage of those questions new generations will hopefully ask are perhaps a bit more heavyweight than Scarrys' delightful books can field, in the manner of Greta Thunberg,  eg: Why are we re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic? Sadly they will have to find sustainable solutions.

best to you

Lena

 

Submitted by Caldwell on

Reading your reply, I realise I’d made light of something much weightier - apologies if my Richard Scarry detour seemed flippant. I suppose as a firstborn I’ve always felt I had enough hardship without taking on the bigger questions too. But you’re right - they can’t be dodged forever. Maybe what the world needs is a Richard Scarry for the end times… though I suppose they’d have to go by the name Rigid Scary. There I go, being flippant again. It's a defence mechanism I always used with my own kids when we discussed awkward topics with no bright answer - bring in the humor, the dad jokes. Totally useless, almost deliberately missing the point and highly frustrating for anyone who just wants a straight answer, but sometimes there isn't one. 

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

the idea of Rigid Scary as a nom de plume yes 

Yes we do make light of the grim for our younger family, we need them to have hope. Lovely comment and thank you.

Best to you 

Lena x

 

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

My favorite from your brilliant piece:

be more than beckoned to

by an Ice-cream van tinkle

or a sprinkle of glitter

of screens scrolled into view

Welcoming a new grandson in a couple of weeks. Might just tossed this up on the fridge as a reminder.

Rich

 

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

and congratulations on the forthcoming addition to your family smiley

Best to you

Lx