Budding Geniuses
I awoke this morning with thoughts of writing something worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps a Nobel Prize for Literature would be acceptable. Maybe I could become the 2013 Poet Laureate for the Library of Congress. I can dream can I not?
Some of my heroes in the writing profession are Mark Twain, (alias, Samuel Clemons or vice-versa) and Edgar Allen Poe. William Shakespeare is always at the top of any writers list. And for the sake of equality, Jane Austen was a great writer, as well. Almost 200 years have gone by since her death, yet Her “Pride and Prejudice” remains among the top literary works of all time. Should you like mysteries, then, look no farther than Agatha Christie. As for poetry, Robert Burns also tops that list.
The list of these famous writers reaches to infinity, and I cannot take the space or time to include each and everyone. Even if I compiled my own list, I would have trouble with the top ten. But, oh to be included in that list! Seriously? Not going to happen! However, just to be mentioned in the same breath would be delightful.
As for creativity, artists, composers and musicians rank just as high as the writers do, in a different vein, of course. However, there is only one “Mona Lisa” by Da Vinci or one “Fifth Symphony” by Beethoven, or one “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley. With the advent of social media, the internet, the electronic age, there is immense competition from literary and artistic individuals to be included with those great creative geniuses of long ago.Truth is, most of us never reach that pinnacle. However, that should not prevent us from reaching.
I have been to art galleries with famous works of art mounted on their walls; museums that display literary works of the aforementioned writers and others, studios with platinum records adorning their wall and nothing compares with these works of creativity.
That is, unless you count the drawings or the poems on the refrigerator door. I have yet to see anything that tops the drawings or poetry displayed on that world famous refrigerator door. How could such a comparison be made with a drawing of a 5-year-old child who brings their work of art to Mom who then immediately affixes it to the door with a magnet. That, my friends, is thrilling to both the Mom and the child. Should you have an occasion to visit the home of such a “collection”, be prepared to witness pride at its best. Many a child has had their work displayed in the most prominent spot in this gallery.
I think there should be a museum dedicated to the drawings and writings of children who have had their works displayed on the refrigerator door. I am sure if you parents out there would search your boxes stored in the garage, you would discover plenty of material for such a museum.
At the very least, you could retrieve it and restore it to its rightful place next to the appliance technician’s phone number or with the grocery list so prominently attached to the refrigerator door. Perhaps the delightful “poetry” or exquisite “painting” will awe you once again.
If you are in the envious position of being the “curator” of a modern day Michelangelo or the brilliance of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, take your job very seriously. You are the stepping-stone to the next generation of artists and writers. These will be the Pulitzer Prize winners, the Nobel Prize recipients, and the Poet Laureates of the Library of Congress.
The next time you are exposed to this sort of thing, be awed in the presence of a budding genius. So what, it you thought it was an elephant and discovered it really is a rhinoceros. And don’t be surprised if your child says to you, “Mom, it’s upside down”. So what if there are misspelled words in the “world’s greatest poem”, this isn’t a spelling bee. Above all, encourage them in their accomplishments.
Now go read a book and have a good day.
rancherwriterpoet 