On Shanks' mare I shall travel the land
With hope in my heart and a mind set free.
Free to wander as fancy commands
And ready to explore what my eye might see.
No silent prayers to Dame Fortune
I’ll take whatever she offers.
No longer hostage to another man's schedule
Or the drudgery of filling my coffers.
Naught in my pack to constrain me
Jusr enough to cater to my bodies own whim.
Nought in my thoughts but anticipation
Of the joys over the horizon’s rim.
No books or screens to shackle me
To the dreams and the needs of the world.
Just pristine pages of memory
To record each sight that’s unfurled.
And so for what time that’s allowed me
I’ll no longer bow neath life’s load.
I’ll pursue both the grit and the glory
As I explore life’s open road.
Author notes
Shank's mare is an old term for walking a-foot.
This was inspired by reading the opening 3 stanzas of Whitman's poem.
You can find the full poem here
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/2216-Walt-Whitman-Song-Of-The-Open-Road
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Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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bravo
A wonderful poem, a great cadence and air to it--and well I know Shank's mare!--excellent! bravo... bravo.. bravo..
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Your poem ...
was beautifully inspired by Walt Whitman and expressed in a way that I, too, was ready to keep my eyes wide open for the sights and sense of what freedom is. Your poem was most gracious reminder as well! Thanks for sharing it. joy
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Many thanks for your kind words. The Whitman piece gelled well with my own thoughts and I felt compelled to write this.
Jim
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This was great...
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Great poem
I enjoyed this poem very much. The old terminology just makes the read that much more enjoyable for me.
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Some of us are old enough to our-date the terminology
Thany you for taking the time to write. I am glad you enjoyed it. I always worry when I submit these types of poem.
Jim
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Are you getting itchy feet Jim? It's been a long time since I heard Shank's mare mentioned. I reckon [with your beard] you would make a great looking swaggie (Aussie Swagman to the uninitiated) You might even pick up a few new bush ballads along your travels around the bush and country towns – better bring some spare shoes though.
A whimsical piece Jim and most enjoyable,
Von
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Wonderful vagabond you’d make
A wonderful and skillful write Jim. I find it very interesting that both you and Legend, your fellow countryman, would write about this style of life. We three are all about the same age I suspect. Had Legend not married so long ago and this 300 years ago, he would have liked to have been a troubadour. Would you also have wanted to spread the news from town to town given those circumstances or is this some way of releasing the pent up tensions of today’s life? I think I would have been and am somewhat of a hermit. I have been here for 34 years and until recently; no one knew anything about me in this town.
Again a wonderful write and as I believe writings reflect sparks of the writer’s true being (my clinical psychological training) another glimpse into who you are. If you are ever in the “Colonies”, you must look me up. We could share a few bottles of wine and some fine conversations. I had planned to travel last year but got sick last November. Maybe next year I will look you up.
Jim Hasler
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Thanks for those nice words Jim. When I read Whitman's words this seemed to flow from my pen in the doctor's wating room yesterday (No problems just routine tests). I always try to have a notebook handy so I saved the thoughts.
I once wrote about myself as the Bard of Baildon after a friend on the folk music circuit was kind enough to flatter some of my odes about current events over here. However the truth is, without my friends in the Shellback Chorus http://www.shellbackchorus.com/index.htm , my solo singing is not so hot.
I might have been better as a travelling jester
The idea of going stateside for a while appeals to me more and more these days. A visit to Mystic Seaport and then to wander for a while. Maybe pop in on some friends from Allpoetry and Oldpoetry. Charley Noble and I keep swapping notes about Cicely Fox Smith http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Cicely+Fox+Smith and we keep threatening to re-publish some of her work together.
I might pass on the wine but the idea of a chatter with you appeals.
TTFN
Jim S
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Sometimes I think to live such a life would be a better course to take.
Please fix spelling, I think "Mo longer hostage" should be "No longer hostage"
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Thanks for the message Gordon. Helping out like that is what Allpoetry is about. TTFN
Jim
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