"Long As I Can See The Light" by John Fogerty

That song is still one of my favorites. I think it is beautifully written and tells a great story about the endurance of love; the flame burning bright until the lovers return. This particular John Fogerty song came on my iPod today at work. I was trying to work and had to drown out some background noise (blathering of co-workers). I find that this song relaxes me. I am overcome at times by the inherent spirituality in the song. I find it supremely satisfying.

Now most of my readers know me as a poet and the above John Fogerty song inspired me. I was lulled into some thoughtfulness for a moment. John Fogerty was immediately followed by Greg Brown's "The Poet Game". This is a haunting song about the regret over lost loves, lost friends. I have lived 51 years on this earth and I suffer the regret of lost lovers and friends. It is a fact of life that we cannot change. Indeed, it is probably that regret that has made me the poet that I am. And, yes, I play "The Poet Game". I believe all, no most, poets do.

The game is that love affair with regret and loss. They can, regret and loss, become our muses. We tend to cherish those memories that got away. We hang on to them. We can't forget. We know what they could have been but we can't let them go. They become the regrets of our lives. They become our sadness. The friendships we lose. The loves lost. The regrets...

These songs then become my soundtrack for my thoughts. And all of this reminded me of a quote I read in a magazine while flying to a business trip ten years ago. I remember the article. It mentioned a book -- "Songlines", by Bruce Chatwin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Chatwin &

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Songlines). Chatwin's premise was that language began with song. Interesting theory. I can certainly see song as an expression of love. The theory kind of makes sense. This certainly plays into my instincts as a poet. My poems are songlike. My poems are sometimes the narrative of my emotional life. My "Songlines" if you will. When I am happy I sing. When I am sad, I write poetry.

My wife says my poetry is sad. Perhaps. But I will leave you with this poem from A.E. Housman:

They say my verse is sad: no wonder.
Its narrow measure spans
Rue for eternity, and sorrow
Not mine, but man's.

This is for all ill-treated fellows
Unborn and unbegot,
For them to read when they're in trouble
And I am not.