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time and PROMISE a poem by Larry J. Knight, Jr.
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For the Class of 2014. —LJK
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in that hour, when everything slows to stillness,
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when joy and fear coalesce in quiet symmetry
! know this… !
a parent, breathless with hope, moved by solemnity, believes one thing—
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there is no love, but love.
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at birth, it was conceived in those early minutes as lungs first took breath, it was whispered like silent prayers against uncertainty— that unsure feeling born with being;
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at one, it was repeated; nestled in the magic of infancy, as want and thought and time were replaced by belief;
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at five, in careful syllables, it was spoken; those reaffirmations of love, like prideful promises attended the outset of new beginnings— that moment of incipient action when child steps nervously to the verge of unfamiliarity:
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at ten, it was sung; a glorious choral exercised in simplicity; at thirteen, it was written in the poetry of a greeting card; each line chosen for symbolism, the implicitness of words clear, acknowledged.
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those milestones documented in photographs neatly tucked in albums, yet forever burned into memory,
! forever define love; !
in that hour, in that slow stillness know this…
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we cannot elude mortality; yet we insist on believing in our invulnerability, our capacity to conquer time—
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but in the same quietude a parent knows this truth—
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a child is sacred;
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he is a keeper of tomorrow, she, a beneficiary of horizons, both endowed with promise;
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both are pebbles dropped by God into an ocean of possibility, as concentric circles of time, moments created by the ripples of their endeavor, touch all in their wake;
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they are pushed by an ebb and flow, invisible as air, governing them with guidance—
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but in that hour, when everything goes calm,
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think of this‌
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because of wishes and sacrifice and seventeen years of unquestioned adoration born of deep devotion,
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because of a promise made in infancy, now renewed for this journey—
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the light will forever remain on,
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home will keep an open door,
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success will not define love, and pride will be felt in each accomplishment;
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prayers will always include your name,
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and time, absent of power, choked into consent, will never diminish sincerity;
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when that hour is at its end, the moment of clarity, the stillness, replaced by a rush of adulation,
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the first step toward tomorrow will forever be urged on by a gentle push forward by those who care.
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about the author
Poet, writer, actor, and teacher LARRY KNIGHT is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; he is also an English Literature and Mass Communications graduate of Southern University. He has been performing poetry since 2002 and has appeared in a number of venues in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Washington D.C. and New York City. In 2009, Knight appeared as a part of a three man spoken word ensemble in Lincoln Center Out of Doors, a week long event held at various locations in New York City. In 2004, Knight co-wrote and appeared in the play “GRIOT: He Who Speaks the Sweet Word,” a three-person ensemble piece commissioned by the Baltimore Theatre Project; it was also well received at the 2006 New York City International Fringe Festival, where it received Backstage Magazine’s critics pick. Knight has been seen in multiple productions at two of Jacksonville’s premier community theaters, Players by the Sea and Theatre Jacksonville. Knight appeared at Players by the Sea in “JULIUS X” as Brutus, a role that garnered him the Best Actor Pelican award; he also appeared as Othello in Players by the Sea’s production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy and as the Prince of Morocco in “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.” Knight appeared in Players by the Sea’s 2010 production of August Wilson’s “GEM OF THE OCEAN” as Caesar Wilkes. In 2013, he appeared as John Williamson in David Mamet’s “GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS.” He also appeared in two Shakespearean classics at Theatre Jacksonville. Knight was Theseus in “A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM” and Prince Escalus in “ROMEO AND JULIET.” He was most recently seen in two staged readings at Theatre Jacksonville’s stage; he was John Coffey in “JOHN COFFEY REFUSES TO SAVE THE WORLD” and Grant Wiggins in “A LESSON BEFORE DYING.” Along with acting, writing and performing original poetry, Knight has taught both English Literature and Journalism at Stanton College Preparatory School since 1998. In 2009, he founded “The Expressionists,” a spoken word poetry society aimed at inspiring talented, young writers and performers to share their voices.
“there is no love, but love.”
(c) 2014 | Larry J. Knight, Jr.