Inspired by and dedicated to the Youth
(especially Adam Smith of the Unitarian Church of Norfolk,
Unitarian Universalist).
Yes, education is the remedy
To cure the malady called ignorance;
But hatred and deep-seated bigotry
Can build rock-hard impregnable defense
Against known facts as mighty as the sea.
So racism and fears of difference,
And festering, phobic longtime bigotry
Surround the hater with a shield that's dense
Enough to render vain the pounding sea
Breaking in vain against the rocks of ignorance.
Education grows vast like the ocean,
With ideas coming in with every tide;
Facts and attitudes, even emotions
Expand and grow, becoming deep and wide;
But bigotry arrests all growth, all motion.
Therefore, it behooves the School of Light
To shine its beacon beams upon the youth,
And teach them to seek out the good and right,
To explore various routes toward the truth
that makes us free to fight the righteous fight.
By William "Bill" Carroll
First published in Songs, Scenes, and Sentiments, 2003.
Subsequently published in The New Journal and Guide, 2003.
Copyright 2002 by Bill Carroll.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Sowing Seeds to Succeed
(The Garden Sonnet)
A serious gardener, I like to think that I
Have faith enough to trust in Power Divine
To bring a fruitful end to most of my
Attempts to grow a veggie, tree or vine.
Likewise, I tell myself that through my years
Of teaching, writing, mentoring and speaking,
I have assisted person, lives, careers,
And helped some students reach some goals worth seeking.
I plant the seed, with hope that it will grow,
Producing fruit that's wonderful to see;
I plan with faith, and faithfully I know
The sweetest fruit is called Sweet Charity.
The harvest that comes forth from class or sod
Is all the proof I need that there's a God.
By William "Bill" Carroll
First published in The Virginian Pilot, 09/14/2003.
Subsequently published in The New Journal and Guide, 2004.
Copyright 2003 by Bill Carroll.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.
A serious gardener, I like to think that I
Have faith enough to trust in Power Divine
To bring a fruitful end to most of my
Attempts to grow a veggie, tree or vine.
Likewise, I tell myself that through my years
Of teaching, writing, mentoring and speaking,
I have assisted person, lives, careers,
And helped some students reach some goals worth seeking.
I plant the seed, with hope that it will grow,
Producing fruit that's wonderful to see;
I plan with faith, and faithfully I know
The sweetest fruit is called Sweet Charity.
The harvest that comes forth from class or sod
Is all the proof I need that there's a God.
By William "Bill" Carroll
First published in The Virginian Pilot, 09/14/2003.
Subsequently published in The New Journal and Guide, 2004.
Copyright 2003 by Bill Carroll.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.
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