A Shade of Green

Once, when I was younger, my father found me standing over our living-room carpet with a long garden hose in my hand. I was watering the carpet because it was green, and I thought I could help it to grow. The color green has since held much meaning in my life. Green is symbolic of growth, youth, potential, and healing--each an idea related to the pursuit of spiritual advancement while on this schoolroom called Earth. Green is the grand symbol for learning. Why else would chalk boards be colored green?

Being a believer of life-long learning, I color my life in shades of green. I strive to grow in those areas of my life which have potential for further growth, and I strive to heal those areas which seem withered. My dedication to green--the choice to grow, the desire to remain young, the search for potential, and the ability to heal--is the reason why I write poems. Poetry, either written or read, can allow anyone the chance to grow or be healed. A poet is someone with both the experiences of an adult and the honest ignorance of a child. And any poem not written is a perfect example of unnurtured potential.

In my life, poetry is but a single leaf sprouted from the twig of my writing potential, branched from the limbs of my artistic ability, somewhere near the treetop of my imagination. Any poem which I create is a flowering bloom on this fruit-yielding tree. But to explain how these blooms are created is to speak of different colors.

copyright 1992, Michael Scott Lewis