Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Never Change Your Mind: Follow Your Poetic Inspiration



The autumn leaves danced circles around Melody whose inner symphony was not in harmony with the weather.

“Never change your mind.” Her grandmother’s parting words resounded in her thoughts. "Once you have made up your mind to become a poet, go for it.”
“Grandma,” thought Melody. “You were always my inspiration, but now you are gone. My heart is no longer singing. How can I keep on writing poetry when my heart is not in it?” She brushed away the salty tears streaming down her cheeks. Her loss seemed too much to bear, as she stumbled along the pathway.
“I have lost my inspiration.”
Suddenly, a faint whimper resounded in the wind.
“That is not me whimpering,” thought Melody. “I feel like a lost puppy, but I don’t whimper, do I?” she asked herself.
The whimper resounded again, this time, a bit louder.

“That is a very young pup,” thought Melody to herself. “Come here, sweetie,” she called out gently.
“Let your heart sing aloud,” the wind seemed to say. 
She began to hum. 
“Sing louder.”
Melody started to sing the words of a song she had been working on prior to her grandmother’s death.
“Take my spirit of sadness, Lord and give me a spirit of gladness, Lord.”
The whimpering stopped.
“How can I find you?” Melody wondered and began to sing louder. “Take my spirit of sorrow and bring me a new joy tomorrow.”

The wind began to howl. There was a flash of lightning accompanied by a clap of thunder, followed by a burst of raindrops. It was getting darker by the moment.
Melody heard another whimper. This time it seemed to come from under the bush by her feet. She looked down and was amazed to see a pair of soulful, dark eyes gazing upward at her. As she reached into the bush to pick up the frightened black pup, she recalled her grandmother’s words. “Never change your mind.”

“Thank you, grandma,” sang Melody softly, as she snuggled the cold, wet pup inside her coat. “I needed this inspiration.”

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