Jimmy Pappas was instrumental in introducing me to a cadre of wonderful poets through Goodreads who commiserate, critique one another’s work, and share common goals in our writing. Jimmy is a Vietnam vet who will publish two books of poetry this year about his time in Vietnam. Jimmy told me the poem I chose to share is one of the first ones he published. You can learn more about Jimmy Pappas and his poetry here.
When it was time
to wake me up
to go fishing,
he stood at the end
of the bed and held
my foot in his hands
as if it were a piece
of crystal, the way
he must have done
when I was a baby,
but I was too tired
to wake up and
too young to understand
how much he needed
me to be his son.
– Jimmy Pappas
First published in Poetry Breakfast
Sarah Russell Poetry 
Simply beautiful, Jimmy. Thank you for the gift. Alarie
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Wow simply awesome 🙂
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Wow! I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of Jimmy’s poetry but this one really is something else. What an understated, beautiful poem. So glad you shared this one, Sarah – it will stay with me. Stunning writing, Jimmy.
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very poignant. some things do not change with age –
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Thanks for sharing this one! It’s stunning.
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Thanks, Everyone. A single simile, an ending that leads us to a larger thought — an example of a simple, well-crafted poem, I think.
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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