This is a Test
Time has saved me a seat
and this rocker is where I landed
as if transported from a classroom
where I watch the clock
waiting for the last bell to save me
Now the look back is longer
than the look forward is
and I’m watching for a door
onto a bright inspiration
But the grey of winter
colors the quiet
and the squeaky wheel
drowns it out
I never liked the black and white
true or false questions
or the memorized answers
in someone else’s words
It’s too cold to crack open a window
but the woodpecker at the feeder
reminds me to wear red
It knows when to fly in
and when to retreat
It doesn’t care
what the other birds think
II: Student
The older I get
the less I strive
but the better
I pass the test of time
________Colleen Redman / Poets United / Imaginary Garden with Real Toads
February 9th, 2019 8:14 am
Still nuthin here but the crows…
February 9th, 2019 1:18 pm
This poem is wonderful. Chels
February 10th, 2019 12:20 pm
I resonate with every line, this is wisdom. I think your closing lines sum it up to perfection.
February 10th, 2019 12:39 pm
Love it… but I think the longer we studied the less we care about test and the easier we pass them
February 10th, 2019 12:59 pm
Striving is such a waste of time (most of the time), but we persist in doing it. When will we ever learn?
February 10th, 2019 2:51 pm
Ah, yes – the look back is longer than the look forward. That is for sure and a bit scary to think about. Sigh. And yes, those true and false questions on those old quizzes were tricky. I didn’t like them either. And – ah – it is good to know one is passing the test of time. Truly, one has no other choice. Smiles.
February 10th, 2019 3:24 pm
I think many questions in life are not clearly True or False. Some are up to interpretation. Life is full of tests.
The ending says it all!
February 10th, 2019 4:04 pm
Love this, especially the line about the woodpecker reminding you to wear red!
February 10th, 2019 5:39 pm
Clearly, that student passed the test.
Lovely writing!
February 10th, 2019 6:11 pm
Growing older doesn’t mean getting wiser, however it doesn’t make you care less about certain things and reminds me that old age is denied to many.
February 10th, 2019 10:15 pm
the woodpecker at the feeder
reminds me to wear red… love that!
February 12th, 2019 11:55 am
Reflective. Wistful. Wonderful.
February 12th, 2019 3:57 pm
Memorized answers in someone’s words… is evocative and reminds me that some people only bring half of themselves to the table…
February 12th, 2019 6:43 pm
I love the woodpecker at the feeder – wear red!
February 12th, 2019 11:45 pm
I’m finding that the older I become, the less I care about what others think. It’s a good feeling. Nicely done.
February 13th, 2019 4:16 am
I love the flash of colour, Colleen, in the lines:
‘It’s too cold to crack open a window
but the woodpecker at the feeder
reminds me to wear red’.
February 13th, 2019 2:22 pm
Yes, a test someone else writes is not mine to answer.
February 13th, 2019 7:04 pm
Your truth speaks well with me. Most days, I enjoy sitting on the rocker.
February 16th, 2019 3:55 am
as Shay notes, I also trust the birds ~