Jason was a football player, an entertainer and the life of the party. But there were other sides to Jason that many were unaware of. He had a sensitive side that he often kept hidden. He had a heart of gold and he deeply cared for his friends and his family. One of the ways he expressed his sensitive side was through poetry. Jason wrote many poems during his short life. I have found some in his journals, and I know I will find more over time as I gain the courage to go through more of his journals. But I thought it would be both cathartic for me and enjoyable for others if I shared a couple of his poems that I have found. Jason may not have been a Yeats or Whitman, but his poetry helped to show us more about who he was and what his deepest thoughts were. It showed us a man who desired and cherished love. It showed us a man who loved life. A disease he could not overcome stole his love for life, but I will always remember him as the man he was before the disease took hold. This first poem is about a man who foolishly drives while intoxicated. It is a sad story, but it shows his heart. The Damned Road By Jason Franklin Cruising smooth down the damp gravel, Spoiled with good feeling caught us off guard, The bar issued us with fuzzy brains that seemed harmless, Every drink we drank was a check mark into completing her destiny, Jack & Coke left my breath with laughter and idiocy, Behind a wheel controlling life itself seemed redundant, That night taking risk was the only option in mind, Heads turned away as speed was forgotten, Aqua eyes met briefly before the thunder, Screeching sounds soon saluted fates ears itself, The gravel warned, knew, and hoped for the worst, Satan placed a hand on my shoulder with great curse, His voice hot, hideous, and reeked of smoke, “It was you….” Eyes opened looking to my right, It was my fault, My love, My life, Emotions raged with guilt and despair, Decades come and go and the feeling doesn’t leave, Lying in bed I still see the face of my better half, Dreams are repetitive of soaked gravel and the voice of the Dark Angel, I’m left a fraction of a man This second poem was written by Jason for his Grandmother Franklin after his grandfather had passed away. The Eternal Dance By Jason Franklin Fresh air flowing through my lungs since war faded, My wife’s presence simmered the fear of loss in my heart, So many friends and so many foes bled for the destruction of the beast in the east, Trauma would enter my dreams, Sporadically as I wake up puddled in a sea, As I rose to coherency, there she was as panicked as I, Golden blonde hair gifted by the angels, The ability to calm me with one touch of her soft warm fair skin, She gave me the world with only her presence and her smile, Pondering the past released images of my old repute, Promiscuity through the sailor years kept me in a persistent love voyage, After the war I saw her getting out of her parents Ford, Red lips and a breath-taking blue dotted sundress, Coincidentally Dotty was her name, I could never take my eyes off her, Days would past as I kept visualizing the day I would strike the nerve to approach her, Licentious habits of beauty chasing kept me foreign to displaying emotions, Having her in my vision brought a side of me that was never before attained, When we first met I was dropped to my knees by her charm, We laughed, and dallied, through the fields of the passionate present, Music would play and gazes were met, I took her hand in rhythm as I did later in marriage, And we danced, We danced with promised intentions of continuing for all eternity, We were young and in love, Never worried about our future, Never lacking the inerasable desire, We matured touring the steps by fruiting the world with two, Lads of character and charm blessing the world with existence, Men portraying cutting images of greatness and aptitude, A heart like their mother’s fortuned with my last name, A foundation of love was established and forced to be followed, The boys were taught how to become respectable men, And as they left our kin, our promised love never faded, As my body broke down, I passed and left you a half of a full heart, Abandoned emotionally and physically, But my absence is only temporary my gorgeous wife, Do not worry about me baby, I am alive and well in the fields of gold, When you my dearest pass on, You know where to find me, In the nearest jazz hall donning that glowing white tux, There I will be standing with a wide-open hand and a matching smile, Forever waiting for you to join me in our eternal dance. I hope these poems showed you a different side of Jason than most knew. As I have said so many times and will say so many more times, I was so lucky to have been his mother. Dude, I love you and always will and I will miss you dearly every day for the rest of my life.... mom
2 Comments
Frances Sherrill Hoffberg
10/3/2018 10:05:31 am
Never suspected the depth of his talent and emotion! Hoping you discover and share many more......
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Dale
10/6/2018 05:58:46 pm
Both poems are beautiful.
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AuthorHi, I'm Jan Franklin. I am and will always be Jason Franklin's mother. He was everything to me. He brought such joy to me and so many others in his short life. I will never ever forget him. Archives
October 2019
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