Wheat Field with Crows (1890), Vincent van Gogh
Too Smart for My Own Good
No way. Never would I name you.
Ghosts. Closets.
Sure we had some good times.
Too good, at times.
Too much drinking, not enough
time spent on studies. Playing cards
was not the math I needed. The physics
of dominoes and falling cards
did nothing for my grades.
After two years, I engineered my way
out of school and into the job
building stereo and TV cabinets.
Thanks for getting me in. Of course,
you were always in control, but the boss
telling me I was too smart for my own good
was the best thing that could happen to me.
I went on to drive trucks. And drink less.
You went back to school. It was too late
for me to plant those seeds. You were
the wheat field. I was the crows, leaving
the darkness behind. Where would I be
now, if I’d stayed?
This is my response to Day 21 at napowrimo.net, in which were asked to “write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.” (The name can be found in the first line.)
Coincidentally, Departure, written in 2016, also uses Vincent van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Crows and touches on the same topic, although indirectly.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
rivrvlogr 
You definitely nailed this challenging prompt, Ken. Well done!
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Thank you, sir.
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Excellent piece. You made it look so easy!
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Sometimes, it’s easiest when looking back. Thank you, Gloria.
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Good one, Ken. Pulls no punches.
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Sometimes, that’s what it takes. Thank you, Jane.
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Truth as it is, Ken.
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Best when seen from a distance. Thank you.
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Agree. You are welcome.
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Marvelous, Ken.
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Especially looking back! Thank you.
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A hard look back. I agree with Ron, you nailed the prompt. Well done!
Pat
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Thanks, Pat.
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing, Michael.
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Excellent response to the prompt!
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Thank you.
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You’re welcome.
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Such a interesting reflection culminating in a question that haunts us all from time to time.
Thank you.
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It’s better not to ask. Otherwise, life would be nothing but questions. (Not that there are not enough, already.)
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The vagaries of fate. The way you wove this together is wonderful. (K)
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Vagaries, indeed. Behind every door…
Thank you, Kerfe.
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Wonderful poem for the prompt! You brought it all together
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Thank you. 😀
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Excellent response to the prompt, Ken!
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Thank you, Merril.
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You’re welcome!
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I learned to juggle and throw darts, and chase girls, thereby flunking out of engineering school, myself.
that is the most unanswerable question you pose – but sounds like the road(s) you drove turned out OK, after all ~
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Thanks.
Yeah, I’ve had some detours along the way, but they got me here, and that’s what counts.
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