Poetry | Ashley Raymer-Brown

Maybe it's just me... or maybe you've felt it too. When I get an idea, a wonderful, marvelous idea - it is all the cliches. A lightbulb! A spark! A mind worm I simply can't shake. I feel like a genius! a trail blazer! A friend to Einstein & Tesla & Shakespeare all wrapped into one. But then... When I begin to breathe life into this idea, when it becomes more than just a lightbulb! a spark! Suddenly... my company changes to Larry, Curly, and Moe. I'm a buffoon! an imposter! and surely, someone else can do this better than dumb, unimaginative me. But... This idea! This spark! This mind worm that simply won't shake, wasn't given to just anyone... It was gifted to me, or to you, Yes, you...with your very own wonderful, marvelous idea. And so, What I would like to say, to both you, and also to me, is the same brain that conceived this idea - is the only one who can bring it to life. What are we waiting for? Einstein & Telsa & Shakespeare are gone, but then again, so are Larry, & Curly, and Moe. And haven't we always been told anything worth having is worth working for? SO Go forth you, and go forth me Let's bring our wonderful, marvelous ideas into this world! How do you know what it is? Why, so simple... It's the lightbulb! The spark! It's the thing that's missing that only YOU or I can provide. I know just the thing...don't you?

Some would say today is
Groundhog's Day
But naturally, like anyone
- in the know - 
I realize that it is really
Bill Murray Day. 

And on Bill Murray Day
I think of Bill Murray,
                        (naturally) 
and how much joy
he's brought to my life - 
through laughter, and yes,  
even through tears
(comedians are great at drama - 
                          timing you know).

But then I thought, 
               how sad & funny
that my very good friend, 
                                 (Bill Murray)
has no idea we're friends.  😦 

He knows not that he has 
              traveled with me,
through my life - 
          the uPS and DOwns. 

In my own Groundhog Day -  
Bill Murray is a townsperson,
moving blithely along,
clueless as to his impact
                 on my every day life. 
(Alright, not every day, 
                this is just a metaphor) 

And then I thought: 
I wonder how many other 
Bill Murray's there are
         (just one, but stay with me)
walking around,
                        impacting lives, 
never knowing they have 
a whole  - secret world -  of fans 
         cheering them on.
Not super fans, not stalker fans,
just regular folks, 
                     wishing them well. 
(I know there are haters of Bill Murray, 
        but just move on quietly, 
this page of verses is not for you). 

And then finally I thought, 
(who knew Bill Murray 
                was such a deep topic?) 
What if we could tell our friends,
                 near and  f   a    r, 
       famous or family,
how much they meant to us?

If you feel you absolutely must, 
you may use a separate example 
          other than Bill Murray 
(but I don't know why you would). 

Whatever you do, 
be sure to tell your Bill Murray 
        (or equal substitute)
you love them, and that you
       wish them a lifetime
                of repeated happiness
      (in joy, not in a time-loop)
in exchange for the positive impact
          they have made on you.

Bill Murray Day should be a day of
                  gratitude (solemn nod).
I think he would like that, 
                  he might even say, 
"So I got that going for me, which is nice." 
        That sounds like my friend, 
                                    (Bill Murray) to me.