Robert Lindley Poet Sonnet

You Steal My Beauty To Heart With Glee

You Steal My Beauty To Heart With Glee

Clear night sky once told me to yield
hold your horses and be quite still
you are but a dot in a dirty brown field
certainly nothing to give others a thrill.

Now go lay in a moonlit cave
head bowed and heart seeking relief
give thanks for what I gave
and seek mercy for you are a thief.

You steal my beauty to heart with glee
yet return not praise and glory my way
yes, you love deep what you see
but fail to ever give me proper pay.

What could I say facing such true accusations?
I simply bowed my head and gave sincere salutations.

R.J. Lindley
Spring, 1971 

Note- From my private journal. Written two years after my father's death.
I often wandered out into that barren brown field late at night to gaze at the vastness of the universe and ask why he was taken from me...
Soon with no satisfactory answer, I turned to hating the world with vengeance in my heart that continued for 18 long and painful years ..

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John Hamilton May 13, 2016 at 9:31 AM Thanks for sharing this gem Robert, your talent was shining even as a youth, congrats on POTD.

Paul Callus May 8, 2016 at 3:27 PM An emotional sonnet & note, Robert. Coming to terms with certain things can be a hard a long process. Thank you for sharing your personal feelings with us. Congrats on p.o.t. d. ~ Keep well, my friend. // paul

Edlynn Nau May 7, 2016 at 8:37 PM You certainly have NO PROBLEM with alternating rhyme scheme in Classical Sonnet format (abab cdcd efef gg). You're so on it. I was sick to my tummy when I read this b/c my own dad is almost 86 and I cannot lose him now (and not for awhile). This plugs us into loss and that orphan feeling. Nice one Robert.

Manmath Dalei May 5, 2016 at 11:13 PM Robert, Very outstanding sonnet. Congratulations for ur well deserving POTD. Enjoyed every line.........//:) hugs

Eileen Manassian May 5, 2016 at 5:24 PM I'm so sorry to hear about the difficult years of wondering why, Robert. I wondered why also. Though my mother didn't die suddenly, she had to endure a long painful ordeal of losing her faculties due to MS. This is a beautiful poem...especially that ending couplet. One day we will understand. Congrats on POTD.

Anne-Lise Andresen May 5, 2016 at 2:56 PM - Congratulations with this touching and beautiful poem, Robert - hugs // Anne-Lise :)

Cindi Rockwell May 5, 2016 at 2:02 PM Powerful even before I read the note about its origin. Even more so after. Congrats on POTD!!!

Charlie Smith May 5, 2016 at 11:34 AM Congratulations Robert for POTD. Well done, early on...

Casarah Nance May 5, 2016 at 8:21 AM It is those questions and experiences that make us wonder and write. "you a but a dot in a dirty brown field" "and seek mercy for you are a thief" great lines with great meanings. Grats on being featured as poem of the day. :)

Jan Allison May 5, 2016 at 7:06 AM Such a moving write Robert - thank you for sharing :-) many congrats on POTD:-) hugs Jan xx

Jannie Breedt May 5, 2016 at 4:54 AM Nicely done congrats

Gary Bateman May 4, 2016 at 12:13 PM Hello Robert, A quite moving and emotional sonnet here for sure. Extraordinary depth of thought. A TR/FAV in my book. (Hope all is going better for your now . . . .) Cheers and Best, Gary

Jill Spagnola May 4, 2016 at 11:56 AM Robert, you have poured out true feelings in such a healthy piece. Humans always need to blame, I of all comprehend that more than you could know. to take so long to let those feelings go, to me equates to the true belief you once held. A painful ~7...with love, jill

Lin Lane May 4, 2016 at 9:40 AM Bonnie's thoughts are my own. At some of the lowest points in my life I wrote until my fingers numbed. When I closed my eyes the words kept filling my mind. It's our way of capturing the emotions we're feeling at that moment in our lives. You did it when you ached over losing your father, and every other hardship you faced in those 18 years. I'm so glad that you found someone to share your life with, Robert, and now you've moved past the pain. But..I'm glad you share your heartache with us.

Bonnie Jennings May 4, 2016 at 8:48 AM Moving and emotional Robert. Isn't it amazing how our emotions whether good or bad will lead poets to write and then share later? I hope all is well with you now....