Two Sides of a Man
This sedoka was written for One Single Impression Prompt #20: Myth. Enjoy.
-Nicole
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side one: tall, weathered
a black-clad clarion call
notorious sinner singer
side two: gentle, wise
examining the world around
him for fingerprints of God
Written 7/12/08
© 2008 Nicole Nicholson. All Rights Reserved.
Wonderful poems. You capture the reason I liked his music so much!
I love this!! I saw Johnny Cash perform in Toronto at Ontario Place in the 80’s and his performance was wonderful. He spoke of his life and of his love for family and when he sang, ‘Sunday Morning Sidewalk’, in answer to many requests, all listeners were humble in their listening. His voice carried emotion and caring and all seemed to feel it.
always liked the guy from way back–good job on this
Beautiful poem (side one and side two)! Especially enjoyed saying the second line of side one “a black-clad clarion call”. I’ve always admired Johnny Cash and what he gave to all of us. Both he and June Carter Cash.
Good take on the prompt!
Lovely tribute too.
I love how you captured several sides or facets of the man, himself and well as a metaphor for his albums in your sedoka. Well done!
Very nice! (The mosaic is amazing.)
always 2 sides…the dualism…the yin and yang…
This is so true of most of us I think…Johnny is just in over-exposed mode…when the chasm between the sides is great, the potential for expression is great too. Johnny Cash lived in that trench between 2 great hills…occasionally venturing up either for a better view of the other. Great poem!
Thank you, everyone.
-Nicole
I agree, two sides to everyone. It is so hard for people in the spotlight to live up to their myth.
Nicely done – his music appealed to me and your words portray him very well!
Lovely and very accurate tribute to an in complex and wonderfully creative man.
Thank you! I think what appealed to me most besides his music was the fact that he was so complicated and complex. He reminds me that both saint and sinner exist in all of us.
-Nicole
The second side seems more as the truth and the first as a cover for his true behavior.
You have depicted the essence of an interesting man. The town I used to live in arrested him for public drunkeness and he stayed at the county jail. There was a huge petition drive last year to clear his name.
hey, he walks the line… in black… beautiful…
A very philosophical tribute to Johnny Cash. He was one of my favorites too.
Great take!
Thank You.
Thank you, everyone.
I grew up listening to Johnny Cash, as my mother and father were both fans of his music. I am still haunted by “Sunday Morning Coming Down” when I hear, as that was my dad’s favourite song of Mr. Cash’s. I recognise, as I mentioned above, a dualist individual in him. Granted, there are two sides to everyone, but Johnny Cash is probably one of the most obvious cases of it in my mind.
There’s a story that Andy Kaufman’s friend, Bob Zmuda, tells about meeting Johnny Cash. It’s in Bob’s book, “Andy Kaufman Revealed: Best Friend Tells All!” Backstage at the Johnny Cash Christmas Special where Andy was supposed to be a guest(I think), Andy and Bob saw an old man backstage, sitting down at a desk, wearing thick glasses, doing paperwork. They are wondering where Johnny is. They hear someone say “Five minutes, Mr. Cash”, and the guy takes off his glasses, stands up to his full height, and straightens himself up…turns out it’s Johnny.
Just goes to show that people are full of surprises and hidden sides.
-Nicole