family · poetry

Parenting Advice?

Sally

Hmmm…. Advice?
Parenting is not precise!
My counsel is, hit or miss,
This:

Hold children
With open hands. To build one
Up until they are strong, free —
See?

They travel,
Grow, change, at times unravel
These are things you always knew —
True?

Kids succeed,
Fail, succeed again, agreed?
As parents we give a base,
Space –

Both vital.
This is more than a title,
This whole mom-dad-parent thing.
Bring

An open
Mind and heart. Give (un)spoken
Acceptance to any mess –
Yes?

Yes! Because
No matter what the thing was,
Your child should be loved by you.
True.

This is in response to the W3 prompt this week:

Write an Ekphrastic Poem based on the photo of August Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ with the theme of parenting.

I’m not sure how ekphrastic my poem is.

I tried using another Irish form called Deibide Baise Fri Toin.

The poem is made up of quatrains with an aabb rhyme scheme. Syllable count 3-7-7-1. Lines one and two rhyme on a two-syllable word; lines three and four rhyme on a monosyllabic word.

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Published by Sally

30 thoughts on “Parenting Advice?”

      2. I see it where I work — at a sports center. Some parents hover and interfere — in the worst ways. Other parents do a good job of cheering their kids on — celebrating (in a good way) when they win and comforting them when they lose.

  5. Sally, this is wonderful! And did you come up with this poetic form on your own? I really, really like it!

    This really speaks to me in particular:

    As parents we give a base,
    Space –

    Both vital.

    Wonderful.

    Much love,
    David

    Reply

      1. I’m so new to this syllabic poetry thing — and I struggle to find the one(s) that speak best to/for me. Because of my Celtic roots, I find myself searching Celtic forms which I do think suit me. But they’re still a challenge!

        As always, thanks for your encouragement!

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