Monday, July 28, 2014

Maestro--By Carl "Papa" Palmer--United States

Maestro

his thin crippled hand
conducts orchestra music
from an FM radio station
too loud for the room

too quiet to drown sounds
of the mechanical pump
his heart monitor beep
or sobs from his audience

Carl "Papa" Palmer, retired Army, retired FAA, now just plain retired, lives in University Place, Washington. He has seven chapbooks and a contest winning poem riding buses somewhere in Seattle. Carl has been nominated for the Micro Award and Pushcart Prize.  He is a hospice volunteer.

MOTTO: Long Weekends Forever
www.authorsden.com/carlpalmer

13 comments:

  1. Hi Carl. Welcome to Whispers. I enjoyed reading "Maestro." I like the 'crispness and flavor of it." Thank you for sharing and thank your for your service to our country. Continued blessings!

    -MJ (www.tgbtgpublictions.com)

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  2. Oh, Carl, this poem is so sad - to me and yet it shows how innovative and creative people can be no matter what. He still finds great joy in some things in life and gets lost in that joy, too....... I am so pleased to read you on this Whispers' On-Line Journal, Carl. I hope to read many more in the future. Sheri / www.poetryandbeyond.net

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  3. Hi Carl! This is ovely and sad all in one. Old age is a reality that needs viewing with respect and understanding. Enjoyed this write...and, yes, I have been touched!

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    1. Picture him as very young, Paul, with his audience of parents and siblings.

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  4. Sad, but excellent visual. You are very creative, but this is not a surprise for someone who is retired from the FAA...

    X Air Traffic Controller Wife
    Rhoda Galgiani, LI, NY

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    1. Thank you, Rhoda, I worked on the technical side of the FAA house @ Seattle AFSS, airports and ARTCC.

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  5. Hello Carl,

    I was moved by the strength of this man to deal with his disabilities in such a positive way. We do what we can to make life more enjoyable, even in sad circumstances.

    I got a chuckle from the first line of your bio. I'm with you!

    How kind of you to volunteer at a hospice. I did that for a while at my former residence. I just read to people and they seemed to enjoy it. (Two of my best friends died in hospice care and both were very grateful for the compassion of the staff and volunteers.)

    Best wishes,
    Carolyn

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    1. Thank you for connecting with me, Carolyn, through poetry and Hospice.

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  6. I enjoyed the impact of emotion and realization of this one..Great poetic quality.Sara Kendrick

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    1. Sara, I am honored by your comment, so glad you like it.

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  7. This is a fine poem that packs a wallop. You capture the joy of a man sweetly oblivious to the nearness of his death, at least for these moments. Then there is the sadness of his loved ones, his audience, who are honed in on his debilitated physical condition.

    I was a hospice volunteer, but decided I would stop after two years. Too many people died. :-) (just injecting a little humor here) . . . Seriously, I was a hospice volunteer, and so was my wife.

    Raymond Keen - author of "Love Poems for Cannibals"

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