If I Could Hear

If I could hear what you wanted to say,

I might say what you wanted to hear;

And that my words could drive you away,

Is such an overwhelming fear.

For your friendship is much more precious,

Than all the treasure of the deep blue sea;

And amidst a world so vicious,

Your friend is all I want to be.

So, I'd rather say what is meant to

Convey an encouraging thought,

Than express all that I want to

About all of the battles fought. 

For I am truly so blessed

By all that you are to me.

And I'll always wish you the very best

Of all that ever could be.

Eric A Trott

11^th March 2019

On Social Media - My Take

O the social media irony,

Of a world within my phone:

Whether in a crowd or in company,

I can be busy all alone.

Hiding from someone, next to us,

We seek attention from afar:

And with all the likes and all the fuss,

Forget who we really are.

Now, you may think that I'm old-fashioned,

When I cringe at words misspelt,

But the reason I'm so passioned

Is how language with cruelly is dealt.

You could say things with an emoji,

To someone near or far;

And you might conserve your energy,

Doing that from where you are:

But when it comes to chatting,

I believe in face to face;

And a good old friendly meeting,

Well, nothing takes its place.

Messaging is a great invention,

But if I were given a choice,

I'd prefer to see you in person,

Or to at least hear your voice.

Eric A Trott

11^th March 2019

I Wonder!

This world's a book of billions of stories,

Many of which may never be read:

Of all the pain, and all the glories,

And all that ever was done and said.

So amazing the tales of every kind!

I wonder what the author had in mind!

An anthology of lines in endless poetry,

Of awesome depth and flawless rhyme,

That have been penned through all of history,

And will be written till the end of time.

Such wondrous verse so subtly defined!

I wonder what the poet had in mind!

A magna opera of masterpiece creation,

So prodigious and beyond compare;

How awesome is the revelation

To the seeker who sees it everywhere!

Is everywhere so hard to find?

I wonder what the artist had in mind!

The designer's wisdom in the work displayed;

The percipience and the artistry:

Such amazing beauty, so well arrayed;

How astounding is this mystery!

Past, present and future, eternally divined:

I wonder what the creator had in mind!

Eric A Trott

22nd July 2018

An Ode to My Teachers

Why did I have to learn them all,

Those things beyond my ken?

And looking back I now recall

How this baffled me back then.

But reminiscing those wonder years

I’m now grateful to my teachers,

And I think of them with thankful tears

Recalling their benevolent features.

How they sedulously persevered,

Imparting every precept!

How they arduously endeavoured

To explain every concept!

Though there were times they did seem cruel

And at times a bit arbitrary,

That was usually when I broke a rule

And disciplining was necessary.

Yes, how they tirelessly laboured hard

To shape my tender mind!

As far ahead they looked toward

The future that I would find!

Their labour of love did prepare

My heart, mind, hands and feet

To stand my own and even dare

To face life’s bittersweet.

So, with a grateful heart do I salute

My teachers for their devotion,

And I write these lines as a tribute
To my teachers with heartfelt admiration.

Eric A Trott

6^th July 2018

A Genuine Need for Justice.

The words that remained unsaid

For the want of a listening ear,

And the thoughts within her head

Of memories of inexplicable fear.

Oh, the pain of a heart that's broken

And the guilt of a tormented soul:

As each callous word ill spoken

Does continue to take its toll.

And as she invents ways to conceal

The anguish that’s deep within,

Her exertions do only reveal

The scars from her tormentor’s sin.

How long can she carry a burden

That never was hers to bear?

Must she remain guilt-ridden

While her offender doesn’t care?

If she comes out and tells her story

Would they take her at her word?

Would justice win her victory

When her voice is finally heard?

What causes her trepidation

About speaking out aloud?

Is it not the intimidation

From a hostile, cynical crowd?

Friends, fathers, sons and brothers,

We cannot look the other way

As our sisters, daughters and mothers

To baseness would fall prey.

We just cannot remain callous

In the wake of gross injustice,

Nor must our apathy suppress

A genuine need for justice.

Eric A Trott

15th October 2018

Copyright © 2018 by Eric A Trott.

I Love India

Thoughts and Poetry from the Soul

Available on Amazon.com

Available on Barnes & Noble

Available on Amazon.in

Available on Google Books

Available on Flipkart

Partridge India introduces Eric Trott, author of Thoughts and Poetry from the Soul.

On the Issue and Consequence of Greed

The spark of an idea lit a flame of desire,

And the winds of change fanned it to a fire:

As the excitement burned, its blaze reached higher;

And those who ignited it stood by to admire.

As the news of their accomplishment spread far and wide,

The accolades poured in from every side;

And as their fame did surge so did their pride,

But few real wise would dare to deride.

And the blaze grew fast into a global symbiosis,

Spreading rapidly on its various courses,

And ostensibly governed by unseen forces,

It soon poured out its venom in lethal doses.

So, the beautiful blue planet was mercilessly torched,

And all attempts to extinguish were furtively botched,

Till the ice all melted, and forests were scorched,

While the politicians debated or selfishly watched.

Now as the earth is ravaged the results are dual;

We choke on emissions while we burn up the fuel:

We are in dire need for our lack of accrual,

As we contemplate the costs of a greed so cruel.

When the forbidden fruit has all been tasted,

We’ll find it was good for as long as it lasted;

But what of all the precious wealth wasted?

And how will we restore the resources exhausted?

For the folly of those who would vainly presume

We cannot deplete what we voraciously consume,

We find ourselves stranded as we fret and fume,

And in search of redemption from imminent doom.

Well, the sum of the matter is the issue of greed;

It’s what we crave after and not what we need:

So, we tried to improve but have to concede,

That humankind is the most self-seeking breed.

Eric Anthony Trott

15^th September 2016
.

On Time and No Time

I remember a time, not long ago,

When life was less pretentious;

When the pace of life was much more slow,

And folks were less contentious.

I had time to stop, and contemplate

The wonders of creation;
And some spare to participate

In the race of innovation.

Yes, there was time to pause a while,

To savour success’s flavour;

And time enough to look and smile,

At all the world with favour.

As I look back, and reminisce

Those times of copious leisure;

I must confess, just how I miss

Those times of precious pleasure.

But time slipped by, and times have changed,

And there’s no more time for boredom;

And I now live in a world deranged,

From which I dreadfully yearn for freedom.

Eric Anthony Trott

9^th September 2016; 12:02 am

Questions I Ask Myself About the Here and Now

How can we look at a watch and not see the time?
If a poem lacks sagacity, what good is the rhyme?
And what makes infidelity such a grievous crime,
But the squandering of life on pleasures not worth a dime?

Where do you go when a day’s work is done?

Do you hurry back home to spend time with a loved one?
Do you gaze in wonder at the setting sun?
Or are you weighed down with thoughts of battles not won?

Who do I turn to when I need a friend?

Am I truthful or do I just pretend?
Should I guard my dignity or should I condescend?
When is the means justified by the end?

Help me I pray. Please show me how,
I may never look down but at the world in love:
And may I always desire to look above,
For answers to questions I ask myself about the here and now.

Eric A Trott

August 23, 2016