Art Davis poem - By My Beard . . .

Mr. Davis is a good church member, a dedicated Christian who has not only given much time, resources, and skill to the churches of which has been been a part both up north and here in Port Charlotte, but he has lent his "bum" to more sermons than you. So he is aware of Scripture passages like, "You will know the false prophets by what they do" (Mt. 7:20) and songs like, "You will know we are Christians by our love," (folk hymn from the 1970s).

His fertile mind plays with phrases like that and he comes up with the some wonderful stuff:

By My Beard You Shall Know Me

Oh hear me, Muse,
I do implore.
Prevent my penning
Words that bore.

In searching through
My poetry books,
I found a sim-
Iliarity of looks.

Longfellow, Whitman,
Elliott, and Keats,
All giants of
poetic feats,

I realized,
You'll think it weird,
Those titans each,
I found with beard.

The question broached
Is not too hard.
Without a beard,
Can one be a bard?

Once I'm bearded,
I'll overnight
Then take my place,
Midst those classed erudite?

I label writing
Rather hard,
For I could end
With beard, and yet
Still not be a bard. . .


Arthur H. Davis
4/11/07
Copyright
6/12/07
Posted by permission of the author