April is National Poetry Month. To honor this literary form, the Daily Herald will publish a poem every day this month. The poets we have selected live in the Northwest suburbs, where poetry projects abound year-round.
John W. McGuire of St. Charles has been honored as both an advertising executive and author. He has earned inclusion in "Who's Who in the Midwest," "Who's Who in the East," and "Who's Who in the World." He has written the collected book of poems, "One Man's Life: A Poetic Review," and recorded the musical album of the same title. McGuire recently started an entertainment phone line known as the poetry and wisdom line.
It's a wonderful thing to be alive
To feel a sight or someone's vibes;
So seldom I realize it's merely a gift,
Because I treat it lightly it has set me adrift.
To pick up the sextant or plot my course,
Is often so difficult it can bring remorse.
The challenge is great we sailors are too,
If only we thought before we would do.
We'd realize it isn't wise to waste
A precious moment for life is short;
And we are here only for each other.
Our common goal should be our soul
and everyone our brother.
This dire thought is true, and ought to be a motivator,
One day we'll stand in whose command we know as our creator.
So plot your course, remember though
If you should choose, you may lose.
Unless you've thought it over.
For just a moment you might survey your chart,
Your sextant, your maps, your way.
The tools are there if you go adrift.
Don't pass them by or one day when
You die you'll stand in whose command
You've known as your creator.
He'll ask you why that selfish "I"
Was a negative motivator;
It's all in giving, this gift called living,
don't pass it by for a selfish "I."
This article first appeared in Section 5 of the Friday, April 18, 1997 edition of The Daily Herald, and is used with permission.