"Huckleberry Finn" by Eugene Iverd‘Convictions of My Thoughts and Deeds’: A Poem by Richard Brancato The Society December 6, 2023 Beauty, Poetry 8 Comments . Convictions of My Thoughts and Deeds Convictions of my thoughts and deeds are vapors, not substantial things. There are no clouds that hold the breeze, they toss about on errant winds. __Look yonder! See! __Huck Finn it be! From shore to land and land to shore An unsure raft that knows no moor. And here my grades before me sit. I bow my head before the glow. The teachers tell me how I did. What other way is there to know __in youthful days __when all my gaze was fixéd on my teachers bold? Why couldn’t I have been born old? But here I sit an agéd man. What are the colors of the world? And here the colors of Gauguin. Ignored, then praised, and now unfurled __a bold new style __but for a while. Is all rejoinder and retort? Speak up old man! Give your report! . . Richard Brancato resides in Boston, Massachusetts. His poetry has appeared in many magazines, including Atlanta Review, Confrontation, and North Dakota Quarterly. You can visit him online at www.richardbrancato.com. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 8 Responses Mary Gardner December 6, 2023 Richard, your poem expresses well the stages of growing to think for oneself. The last line exhorts elders to give guidance to the younger. I enjoy the double meanings you have employed with “convictions” and “no moor.” Reply Roy Eugene Peterson December 6, 2023 The transition from youth with convictions as yet not moored to those of the elderly man with knowledge and experience to have his “boat moored” is well designed and thought out. Reply Rohini December 6, 2023 Fabulous! The transitions of life so deftly and beautifully handled. It is a poem of layers that I have read through three times already and received more with each reading. Reply Drilon Bajrami December 6, 2023 Beautiful and thought provoking. In the first part, the convictions are vapours and nebulous, but in old age, they [the colours] are as substantial as a major work of art (like Gauguin) — or at least that is my interpretation. I look forward to seeing other interpretations. Reply Daniel Kemper December 6, 2023 An excellent texture in this poem. The initial philosophical thought provoked me to remember how often our imaginations are dead wrong — and how little we remember how often imagination is wrong. I liked the allusions, especially to Huck and Jim. Reply Paul A. Freeman December 6, 2023 I enjoyed your poem, Richard. ‘An unsure raft that knows no moor.’ Great imagery. Thanks for the read. Reply Margaret Coats December 6, 2023 From the Mississippi with Huck Finn to Polynesia with Gauguin–and all on errant winds. You don’t seem to be bemoaning lack of substance, Richard, just reporting it. Well expressed in a pleasant form. Reply Geoffrey Smagacz December 8, 2023 Echoing James Shirley’s poem, “The Glories of our Blood and State,” tells the reader that you’re tackling the sweeping theme of our mortality, in this case in how it’s reflected in our passing tastes. You’ve almost imitated Shirley’s rhyme scheme; all his rhymes were perfect. A very thoughtful poem that bears rereading. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Mary Gardner December 6, 2023 Richard, your poem expresses well the stages of growing to think for oneself. The last line exhorts elders to give guidance to the younger. I enjoy the double meanings you have employed with “convictions” and “no moor.” Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson December 6, 2023 The transition from youth with convictions as yet not moored to those of the elderly man with knowledge and experience to have his “boat moored” is well designed and thought out. Reply
Rohini December 6, 2023 Fabulous! The transitions of life so deftly and beautifully handled. It is a poem of layers that I have read through three times already and received more with each reading. Reply
Drilon Bajrami December 6, 2023 Beautiful and thought provoking. In the first part, the convictions are vapours and nebulous, but in old age, they [the colours] are as substantial as a major work of art (like Gauguin) — or at least that is my interpretation. I look forward to seeing other interpretations. Reply
Daniel Kemper December 6, 2023 An excellent texture in this poem. The initial philosophical thought provoked me to remember how often our imaginations are dead wrong — and how little we remember how often imagination is wrong. I liked the allusions, especially to Huck and Jim. Reply
Paul A. Freeman December 6, 2023 I enjoyed your poem, Richard. ‘An unsure raft that knows no moor.’ Great imagery. Thanks for the read. Reply
Margaret Coats December 6, 2023 From the Mississippi with Huck Finn to Polynesia with Gauguin–and all on errant winds. You don’t seem to be bemoaning lack of substance, Richard, just reporting it. Well expressed in a pleasant form. Reply
Geoffrey Smagacz December 8, 2023 Echoing James Shirley’s poem, “The Glories of our Blood and State,” tells the reader that you’re tackling the sweeping theme of our mortality, in this case in how it’s reflected in our passing tastes. You’ve almost imitated Shirley’s rhyme scheme; all his rhymes were perfect. A very thoughtful poem that bears rereading. Reply
