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- Fred Rogers 2002 Commencement Address at Dartmouth College (Dartmouth News)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Rogers%27_Neighborhood
"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?..."
"Please won't you be my neighbor?"
- Fred Rogers
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Dear Mr. Rogers,
The child in me loves you more now
That I better understand
Your simple words of kindness
Outlining ingredients for peace
Transferred from one to another
Based on self acceptance, love, generosity
I realize childishly how everyone is my neighbor
Or could be if they want
I tried to be a good neighbor too
But I stopped listening to you
The adult in me knows fear
Of those who aren't neighborly
Who live independently
Outside the neighborhood you created from dreams.
Too often they rule
With no regard
For your wise words
"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood"
My inner child naively nags
Constantly begging me to blindly believe again
Constantly begging me to blindly believe again
The adult responds with silent tears
It's impossible to explain this world to a child.
For Poets United.
This is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Myrna!❤️ If only peace could prevail and everybody would learn to get along..
ReplyDeleteToo true! And perhaps it is good that they can't comprehend it until they are older and are more "adult." Words like Rogers, given this world, may be all the hope we have that people grow up with the capacity to alter reality:
ReplyDelete"The adult in me knows fear
Of those who aren't neighborly
Who live independently
Outside the neighborhood you created from dreams."
Would that the entire world could become one huge neighborhood after the fashion of Mr. Rogers's beautiful one.
ReplyDeleteYes, thankfully, children in their innocence are full of dreams and hope, those fortunate enough to live in a world that treats them kindly. It would be good if someone like Mr Rogers was president. I guess Jimmy Carter was that and we under-appreciated his goodness.
ReplyDeleteI couldn'y get to your blog, from the Imaginary gardens with real toads? But since you came by to see me, and be my neighbor, I could come to see you. I enjoyed your poem, maybe each day we could offer a smiles to everyone else? Sometimes a smile is all that is needed.
ReplyDeleteSadly your poem is not linking on PU. Please try to post it again as it is a most beautiful and significant poems for these times.
ReplyDeleteIt's impossible to explain this world to a child - this is so true...even as adults we struggle to comprehend the level of greed and power play and abuse... wonderfully written!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Only if both innocence and wisdom could get along. Love Rogers' words of strength and grace to make the best of human beings. Beautiful, Myrna.
ReplyDeleteChildren see neighbours differently to adults, always there with a wave and a kind word, whereas adults tend to pick up on the negatives and resent a watchful neighbour. Simple words of kindness are what we need these days.
ReplyDelete