A few months ago my five-year-old made an erroneous but poetic statement about his place of birth and inspired this pantoum.
I was born in Poverty,
An island off the coast of Denmark.
Our only bit of property,
A parcel just barely a landmark.
An island off the coast of Denmark
Is not a bad place to live;
A parcel just barely a landmark
Has a surprising amount to give.
It’s not a bad place to live.
The winds and the currents incessant
Have a surprising amount to give
To a child who lives in the present.
The wind’s and the current’s incessant
Whooshing about the snug home
Of a child who lives in the present
Can lead him to dream in poems.
Whooshing about the snug home,
Our only bit of property,
The winds and currents incessant.
I was born in Poverty.
Imperfect Happiness 
This is lovely, Charity! What a beautiful form and what great use you’ve made of it. I love it.
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Thank you, Lori! I’ve sat on it for a while, but then our gathering on Saturday and the discovery of a couple of new-to-me blogs reminded me of the value of playing. “Risk Looking Silly” is one of my Seven Personal Commandments from my Happiness Project days. I’d forgotten about it, and I think I need to dust it off again. (Along with the reminder that a poem I’ve written is never going to feel done to me.)
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Fear of ridicule is one of my biggest issues, but I am also learning slowly that playfulness is essential for any creative endeavor. It’s a good thing to practice. Thanks for reminding me of that.
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