Sunday, June 10, 2012

Flesh Out the Invisible Man

Long time, no see.  I fell into feeling sorry for myself again recently.  Shall I address this on String Too Short? I asked myself.  Oh, that has been done.  So I resurrected this, not because I am a poet, but because I needed to reflect once again on the words that follow the doggerel.  If  I just sit and allow myself to think I am neglected, I need to ask myself why I can't do something about that.  Am I incapable of making a call, reaching out to someone?  Going now to the scriptures.



OH THE INVISIBLE MAN!
HE'S THE GOODEST MAN YOU NEVER SAW!
HE IS HERE EVERY DAY
HE DOES HIS CHORES. IN EVERY WAY
HE'S AS GOOD AS ARY ONE YOU KNOW
AND YET SEE HIM? I' TROW,
SEE HIM, YOU NEVER CAN.
AIN'T HE A' AWFUL GOOD INVISIBLE MAN?
INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE MAN.
I'VE SERVED MY BEST IN EVERY WAY
GAVE MY KIDS MY LIFE EVERY DAY
TO THEM I'VE BEEN AWFULLY GOOD
YET TO DATE I'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD
WHY? EVEN TO THEM I CAN'T BE SEEN
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ME 'N
THE THINGS I KNOW? SEE ME?
THEY NEVER CAN.
I'M THE INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE MAN.

I DEVOTED MY LIFE TO A CAREER
THE YOUNGSTERS I ATTEMPTED TO STEER
INTO THE PATHWAYS THEY SHOULD GO
BUT NOW THERE'S SCARCE A ONE I KNOW
WHO SEES ME WHEN I PASS HIM ON THE STREET
I SHUFFLE ALONG ON TIRED FEET
AND WISH A SMILE WOULD SHINE MY WAY,
BUT NO, NOT HAPPENIN' TODAY.
IT'S WHO I AM: THE INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE MAN.

WHOA! YOU SHUFFLIN' OL' INVISIBLE MAN
INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE, INVISIBLE MAN!
DID I HEAR SOMEONE CALL?
NO, NO, NO NOT AT ALL
IT'S MERELY WIND AHOWLIN'
OR ENTS OR ELVES OR SQUIDGICUMBAWLIN'
AS EVER, AS EVER INVISIBLE MAN
CAN'T BE SEEN BY ANYONE IN THE LAN'.
THAT LONELY OL' BONEY OL' INVISIBLE MAN
--
WITH INSINCERE APOLOGIES TO J.W.RILEY AND TO H.G. WELLS

I suspect that all people have times in which feelings such as these creep into their lives. It is part of the human condition to feel alone, lonely or ignored on occasion.
Yet I know that this too shall pass. In truth I have a huge, loving family and many, many friends. They all have lives, too. And it is a busy world in which we live. There are often near-overwhelming responsibilities. A kind and loving word could lift a friend of yours; just let them know they haven't been forgotten.

And above it all, we are held in the loving hand of our Heavenly Father, who will never leave us, nor yet forsake us.  John 14:18

 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake theeHebrews 13:5
© 2010 David W. Lacy

5 comments:

Vee said...

These words could have been written by someone who once lived in Frankfort; a person I called every week without fail, but who still often said, "No one ever calls or comes." It's strange how we view things with relationship to our very changed lifestyles. Maybe retirement age should be around eighty.

vanilla said...

Vee, it is all in the focus. When one turns inward (speaking for myself, of course) it is all too easy to decide he is alone, because when turned inward, one is alone.

Retirement at eighty might be good for the mental health, but what about job performance? As someone who once lived in Frankfort told me, "I can do anything I could ever do. It's just that it takes half-day to do a thirty minute job."

Shelly said...

There is truth in your poem (which showcases your talents very well), and I think all of us do go through those feelings now and again.

However, you are right to count your many blessings. Don't forget there are a crowd of us out here in blogland, too, who count you as part of the family, as well~

Sharkbytes said...

That poem does capture how we feel from time to time, though. You've got a friend here. Hope our bloggie getogether works out.

vanilla said...

Shelly, I believe these feelings are probably a part of the human condition. I am neither alone nor unique. I do very much appreciate you, Shelly, and our friends in the blogosphere. All y'all are an important part of my life.

Shark, I do hope that works out. I am looking forward to a rendezvous with some of our favorite bloggers.