[the Writing of Kuypers] [JanetKuypers.com] [Bio] [Poems] [Prose]
and that the second definition of pioneer
To pioneer is to open or prepare for others to follow
You said you all were pioneers.
Yes, pioneers, you were all so brave.
How can you start anew
Yes, pioneers, you were all so brave.
What were you a pioneer of?
When slaves were bought and sold
To pioneer is to open or prepare for others to follow
To you, your daddy was a pioneer
I know we’ve all felt that feeling before
be the fearful little girl
And I know each and every one of us
And you would run, and run, and run
You were too young to create something new
And after running through those endless fields
When I was little I would save up all my change
And I would sneak over to the local ice cream parlor,
And did you sneak off to the general store
Was this your freedom, was this your rebellion?
To pioneer is to open or prepare for others to follow
Was this what made you a pioneer?
Watch this YouTube video
of her reading Pioneer 08/21/11 at the last 2011 Chicago Beach Poets Loyola Beach open mike
See YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading (C) her poem Pioneer live 5/21/14 at Chicago’s open mic the Café Gallery
See YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading (S) her poem Pioneer live 5/21/14 at Chicago’s open mic the Café Gallery
See YouTube video 5/13/17 of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Pioneer” (Lumix camera) at Georgetown’s “Poetry Aloud”.
See YouTube video 5/13/17 of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Pioneer” (Sony camera) at Georgetown’s “Poetry Aloud”.
See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her haiku poem “choice” from her photo/journal/poetry book “Bon Voyage!”, then her poem “Pioneer” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 (v2)” 3/24/18 at “Poetry Aloud” (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).
See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her haiku poem “choice” from her photo/journal/poetry book “Bon Voyage!”, then her poem “Pioneer” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 (v2)” 3/24/18 at “Poetry Aloud” (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).
Pioneer
It amazes me
that the the first definition of pioneer
is a person or group that originates
or helps open up a new line
of thought or activity
or a new method of technical development
is merely
one of the first
to settle in a territory
What did you know of these uncharted lands?
And more importantly,
why did you bring your old and tired
ideas with you?
How, with all of that spiritual baggage,
could you plan to start anew?
And what were you running from?
So bold. Running away to a land
that promised not to give you more
but promised to not be where you were
running from. Running away, taking all
of your old edicts with you, all of your
old theories, hoping a change of scenery
was all you needed to make everything better.
when all you do
is move your problems to a different place?
So bold. But you, Laura, you were only
a little girl, what could you be
crusading for? Were you following
your heart, your mind, were you searching
for the truth, did you know what it was
you were looking for? Or were you even
looking for something at all? Were you merely
trying to survive it all, blindly following
your powerful father, your powerful god?
Did you feel the cold slap of wind
from the barren plains
and think that this was freedom?
When you ran outside and played make-believe
wearing your little dress, little ribbons in your hair
did that cold gust of wind on your calves
circling around and above your knees
make you feel free from the journey
your edlers forced you to take?
when women were purchased for harems
they had no say over where their masters roamed
they merely had to follow
and keep their mouths shut
and did you feel that way too?
but think about it again
think about how alone you felt
in the plains, making up stories
to pass the time
how sometimes you would go out to the fields
and run, and run, and run
hurdling forward until you couldn’t
see your little house anymore
and was this your moment of sanity?
Was this what kept you alive?
after being on vacation
or just being somewhere else
and knowing you have to leave
you have to go home
and be the person everyone expects you to be
instead of the alive little girl
has felt that feeling while going home once
wondering if it was possible
to just never come back
hurdling forward until you couldn’t
see your little house anymore
looking for something new
then always finding
only more and more plains
to truly be a pioneer
so you knew you’d have to go back
you couldn’t keep running
and you’d have to accept
the world that was handed down to you
I’m sure that slow walk back to the house
because you knew your mother
would be calling you back for dinner
I’m sure that slow walk back
was all the more painful
and tell my mother I was going for a bike ride
in the neighborhood
even though I shouldn’t eat sweets before dinner
for penny candy
Was this your decision to accept your own ideas
and not those of your mother, your father, your god?
Was this your attempt to get away from following?
Was this your moment of sanity?
Was this what kept you alive?
Copyright Janet Kuypers.
All rights reserved. No material
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