GUESS I MISSED MY CALLING

What would your calling be?
To take one word and make it two
To smith two words that flow
Into many, many more
They will craft a poem or song
Or tell a story of people long gone
Or highlight the insight and wisdom
Of lives lived well
So I must tell
What my Calling is

Why did I miss my calling?
Fear of not being the best
But who could know?
It was as good as the rest
Because my Calling is ever here
Its voice has not grown dim
Nor foreign but clear
At the oddest hour strong
I respond
I belong

How can I answer my calling?
To write the thoughts that keep
Crowding my mind so deep
Setting them on a simple sheet
Daily letting "me" within out
That is what my calling is about
I Hear

What I can say in that calling?
I could encourage others to act
Give a level footing to the young
A firm hand to the old, in fact
Encourage lovers to stay
The lonely to seek the way
Of the Well-Matched Companions:
Contentment
Accomplishment
Happy Solitude

With this Calling
I could offer Practicality as Verticality
Discipline as life’s Able Supporter
A generous promoter of Attitude
Dignity as the Remedy
for Senectitude

Did I miss my Calling?
Not, really
I did not miss the lives of the five
The love of the One
The mutual admiration of the Hundreds
Nor the Complementary Trials
That sculpts me for Future Excellence
My Calling has been kept
Deep in my heart
Until now
With these words
I Bow


By Earthene Fleming copyright 4/13/04

Author's Comments:
"This is the refrain that compels me to write. It is lengthy; but I hope you relate to it, especially if you write. Senectitude means the act of growing old. Verticality, in this poem: Reaching for the highest point. Complementary Trials: Those challenges that played in major role in gracing my life and work. They add to my growth and spirituality. Without them I would not have developed into the person that I am today. Practicality is common sense with its honored and proper place at the highest level."