Thunder rolled through the valley town.
“So it’s going to rain,”
Growled the old man,
“How I hate rain.”
Pushing the covers back he
Arose from the bed as if
He was rising from the dead.
“How I hate mornings,”
He grumbled as he slowly
Made his way kitchen bound.
Pouring water into a kettle
And setting it on a stove,
He goes to pick up his paper
In his unkempt yard.
The smell of coming rain
Permeated the air.
“No rain wrap on the paper?
How I hate that paperboy.”
Glancing into town,
He could see the blossoms of the trees,
“How I hate spring.”
The kettle whistle sounds,
“How I hate that whistle.”
He pours himself a cup of stout coffee.
Taking a good sip, “How I hate coffee.”
Opening his paper, “How I hate newspapers,”
He reads the local news.
“So old George finally died, did he?
How I hated him anyway.”
Then he pauses his reading,
Lays the paper down carefully
On the kitchen table.
He gazes out the grimy kitchen window
For what seemed like an eternity
At the looming rain clouds.
“How I hate death.”
Thunder rolled through the valley town
Nightly Sky 
What are his hidden loves?
Perhaps someone who has died, maybe? It is a picture of someone who has become very bitter at everything because of a circumstance, or a “stressor “ that has changed his life obviously for the worse. Therefore he takes everything out on other things and people.
Poignant reflection on how we create our own reality, for better or for worse, positive or negative; how one’s perspective is colored by the lens through which life is viewed; and the Law of Attraction – we attract into our lives more of that which we focus our attention on. Thanks for posting this Randall!
Thank you so much for your insightful comments. I always apprecite your insights on such subjects.
I have days like this…but there’s also much better days. I’d be curious to see the other side of this guy.
Your bad days though are probably due to stressful situations (I am just totally guessing here which is a dangerous thing for me to do, and I am sorry if I missed it) that come in against you. Everyone handles these in different ways. That is why sometimes then you feel better because of doing something to handle it or perhaps less stress (totally guessing again). In such a state of rage and hate as this guy is in, he probably does not have much of another side. In the end of the poem, the way he says what he says at the end you could say is probably the root of the problem. In his case of what he likes, maybe just a/some photograph(s) of whomever he lost, or something tangible (like some kind of knick knack) that is associated with the one he lost. Everyone deals with death loss differently. Like in the poem “The Anniversary” where the person had illusions of “seeing” the child they lost and had to learn to deal with this. In the end of that poem the person knows it is just an illusion, although still very real in their mind. This person in this poem has just decided to take his stress and use it to strike out against society as a whole. Extremely unhealthy of course, but this is one of the things that can actually happen.
I also have these days. And it’s alot easier said than done to have those good days. I do have them, but we each have different temperaments that we are born with. So while some people seem to be able to easily allow things to roll off their back, for others of us it takes great diligence and hard work.
I think this is a brilliant poem, we all know this old man/woman. Love it!!
Thank you so very much. I do so appreciate your feedback. And I am glad that you do like it.
I bet he just *hates* bloggers. 😀
Especially ones that have poetry of all things.
😀
There was a great BBC comedy programme ( running to several series’) called “One Foot In The Grave”, whose central character was a curmudgeon. At its best it very funny. I don’t know if it ran in the U.S. or got copied. (That sometimes happens.) Well worth tracking down. I’m sure there will be some samples in YouTube. Check it out.
it was great, he was such a grouchy old codger
🙂 And his poor wife! Let’s not forget her.
Randall, Marvelous poem!! So, so very true too. Hate only breeds more hate in any and every situation or circumstance that we interject it into. That’s in my opinion why Jesus stressed love thy neighbor, love thy enemy, love, love, love! That’s the only way to overcome hate/hatefulness. Peace, LOVE and blessings, Terri
That is because Jesus knew something that we have just recently discovered in psychology. Many many conditions can be helped in psychology; however, hate cannot be treated. When one starts hating it messes up the chemicals in the frontal lobe. True, many chemical imbalances can be fixed with medication. But so far, there is nothing that stops hate, it just continues. Even in medication, the right medications have not been discovered. It can only be fixed by what is called in the business a “miracle.”
The true opposite of love is not hate, but fear.
Uncover the fear that created the hate.
And, as we all know, fear is the mind killer.
You will never be able to defeat the hate unless you can overcome the fear.
Only then may love, at last, become a real possibility.
Vide: the btilliant film “Twelve Angry Men”
There is some truth in that statement. People who suffer Antisocial Personality Disorder do not have any sympathy, judgment, or empathy. The very things that we would consider as love. Also,
“Researchers have found that antisocial people, display lower serotonin activity than other individuals. Other studies further indicate that individuals with this disorder display deficient functioning in their frontal lobes. Treatments for people with antisocial personality disorder are typically ineffective.”
Ronald J. Comer, Abnormal Psychology.
Which version of “Twelve Angry Men” did you see, the black and white original version? I am surprised someone else has seen that. It is sometimes used in Social Psychology classes for study.
Yes, the one with Henry Fonda. I came across it in a social care course, but I have a copy of my own. Important film. Shame more people don’t know it.
“We live so short a time to be happy and we are so long dead.”
Somerset Maugham
As someone once said “life is too short for me to waste it on hate.” Or something like that. Thank you for your comment.
nenskei reblogged this on The Way I Live Naturally.
THis is great!
Thank you so very much. I am glad that you like it. And thank you for stopping by.
Nice work, strong message, the Somerset Maughm quote is so apt. Thanks for another thought provoking piece, Randall. 🙂
Thank you very much for the feedback and visiting.
Randall, I have been reading through your poems, and I have decided that I like them. They are straightforward and honest and not filled with “poetic” sentiment. Good work.
Thank you very much. I always appreciate feedback. A lot of the poems are mainly Psycho Babel put into poetic form. Looking at things from a mental hurting perspective. People just like us, who hurt from a problem that happened to them. So instead of think them strange, we can try to understand what is going on and not be so harsh on them.
A noble crusade. I applaud it.
I do thank you for that.
I especially enjoyed this and at first thought that it was a veiled tribute to Andy Rooney who just `went on before`. I marvel at your clear clean authentic style and hope to continue to learn from you. Blessings on your talent and all who benefit from it. Some might healing words you write dear heart. I thank you.
Thank you so very much for your kind remarks. I do appreciate it so very much. Especially since your works are wonderful too. Healing, yes I really hope. I just want people to understand that people are people whether the hurt is mental or physical.
I love the poem, and it has such a perfect ending. I agree with everyone else who enjoyed it – well done!
Thank you. I always appreciate feedback (especially the kind type). Love your blog too.
I guess we all have bad days, but they’re better than the alternative, huh? As some wise owl once said, “It takes bad days to appreciate the good days.” —or something that effect. Great poem!
You are right. Everyone I imagine has some bad days, but unfortunately some people get stuck in continuous bad days and can’t break out. Thank you for your insight. I also appreciate you stopping by.
Randall, you surprised me with this one. Thank you!
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hoped you liked it
Hatred and bitterness . . . makes for a long, lonely and unhappy life.
Reflective and excellently conveyed.
very true statement. Thank you for stopping by and your insightful comment.
incredible write man, honestly thought you were gonna end this a different way but your way was alot more surprising and heartfelt. Great write
Thank you for that. How to end it was one of the longest thinking times of the poem. I am glad you liked it.
How I hate that I envy your writing skill so much. ;p
Thank you very much. But I have seen your blog too and it very impressive.
finally got a chance to comment !! i usually read your blog on mobile so miss it ..
like your work .. always.. and thanks much for visiting me ..
Thank you so much for your comment and reading my blog. Your blog is great too.
I love it! 🙂 I like how I could see everything that was going on… almost reminded me of my grandfather… grumpy old man! :]
I am glad that you liked it. I hope that your grandfather was not quite as grumpy as this old man. Thank you for your comment.
He hates life and he hates death = uber misanthrope. I love the lightness you put in writing such a thoughtful poem about existence.
Thank you, I am glad that you liked it. I appreciate the feedback.
such a sad old man
imagine a world and a life you hate
Yes, and so unfortunately there are people like that that, they need help to return to normalcy. Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate it.
I’d say this guy reminds me of Victor Meldrew, but even Victor had his good days…. 😉
This poor guy does not even seem to have a good hour. Thank you very for your comment.
Someone you know?
No, not actually. A lot of the poems of problems are from composite psychology profiles of a certain condition. I then try to see things from their perspective to show things how they might see and understand. This is to help us understand them better and not ridicule their problems. When someone is sick physically like cancer or something we don’t make fun of them. So we should not when someone is suffer from a mental problem. It is just as real.
Well said, sir.
As many of your commenters have noted and you obviously include in your poem, Hate is even more toxic to the “giver” than to the person-place-or-thing on the receiving end. I did a post on it a while back too:
http://kiwsparks.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/the-stickiest-substance-known/
Nice poem, friend.
Fantastic Randall. It made me smile because I know too many people like that, but also sad too. Very true to life. Brilliant!
Keep it up mate!
lol love this! 🙂 And I love it more because I love the rain!
This is how some people do see the world. It brings everyone else down with them. How I hate people like that.
This is a great post.
so bitter, one wonders if he was always like that or what happened to him that he became so