A couple of days ago, I was inspired to write a brief message for my social media page. It went something like this:
Hey young folks: when you have a conversation with a senior, a grandparent, an elderly person, you can tap into a gold mine of information. Why? Because they have knowledge that comes directly from personal experience—the best source of information ever!
Before actually getting to work on the post, while shuffling through some old files I came across a poem written by a 14-year-old girl. The truth and beauty and wisdom of the words moved me to tears, especially given what I was preparing to write. It was originally written in French. Below is an English version, which I hope maintains the integrity of its beautiful and profound message. I decided to keep the feminine gender for the tower, as it brings it to life.
La Tour
La tour de pierre s’étend vers les nuages
Sa couleur disparue et sa forme grugée par le temps
Elle nous lance des cries de secours mais nul ne l’entend
Nous l’avons oubliée depuis bien trop longtemps
Elle nous semble vieille et délabrée
Nous ne voulons pas admettre
Qu’elle a bien des histoires à raconter
Elle est entourée d’arbres et de la ville elle est isolée
Mais son souvenir fait frémir quiconque songe y penser
Son portrait est peint devant un ciel étoilé
Ah, vielle tour! Tes jours sont limités.
The Tower
The stone tower reaches up towards the clouds
Her colour faded and her shape eaten away by time
She cries out for help but no one hears her
We have forgotten her for far too long
To us, she seems old and dilapidated
We don’t want to admit
That she has many stories to tell
She is surrounded by trees and from the city she is isolated
But the memory of her makes one who thinks of her shudder
Her portrait is painted in front of a starry sky
Ah old tower! Your days are limited.
Who says children are blank slates? There is so much meaning and wisdom in these words! Whether young or old, wisdom lies deep within our souls, simply waiting to be expressed, embraced and appreciated.
