Gather, learn and listen
Grasp a piece of life and hold it
Mold it to your liking
And place it in the potter's kiln

Lessons learned in church and school
Help shape the growing child
Tall tales, fables, folklore
Place perspective on today

Taste the timbre
Watch it's phrases arching
Tells a story of my own
Breathing patchwork
Tangent lines that cadence
Palms and songs depict my lifeline

Stories have been gathered
For those who crave for something more
Lessons for a future
In what we learn and earn today

Others learn to capture
The themes they heard upon the page
Scores of scores of textbooks
Serve as my soul's family tree

My life revolves in dreams which evolve through foresight
I'd achieve, and while the sounds of those around me
Is silent at times, I forge ahead
Directed by where I want to go

I too demand a focus
Yet from within reside benign
and thank all those who strive to reach
More than one's arm-length allows

Gather, learn, and listen
Grasp a piece of life and hold it
Listen to it's spirit
And send it on it's way