The Flea Trainer

[Namyh]

The Flea Trainer

I can see fleas on tiny seesaws,
sitting tiny swings that sway,
contented and bored to just pass the time.
How came they conditioned this way?

First put the fleas within a jar.
Then place the lid on top.
The fleas will jump and jump and jump
hitting glass and lid with knocks
and after a while the muscles condition
the jump to avoid the pain
of colliding with lid and glass so hard
over and over again.
You can remove the lid. Let out the fleas,
even put them on swings that sway.
They’ll jump but within the limits imposed
on muscles conditioned this way.

We start out fresh to climb the mountain,
to leave our marks on Life,
to jump the stumbling stones of living
and clear the hurdles of strife
but we bang our heads. We skin our knees.
We fracture our hopes and means.
So when we jump, it’s not so high.
Conditioning has stolen our Dreams!

From the corner of my eye, I spied the jar.
Without lid, there’s a chance to get out.
Yet the fleas within just could not do it
with freedom as close as a shout
but my eyes perceived a single flea
jumping high and above the rest,
looking for the opening at the top of the jar
where freedom is the dream and the quest.

Each time he jumped, it seemed much higher
defying his conditioning to win.
I found myself cheering on this flea
now showing me the Hero within.
With eyes face up for one giant leap
to clear the barrier, the bar,
it lunged past fleas and the opening at the top.
This flea-trainer jumped “Out” of the jar.
I roared. The fleas in the jar were shocked!
I clapped. Disbelief ran fast
but there was no denying this Will of one flea
now looking from the other side of the glass.

I learned from the “insignificant”
where significant wisdom is free
that it’s not the size of the flea in the fight,
it’s the size of the fight in the flea.
Being beaten will no longer defeat me,
tho’ I’m hammered on Life’s anvil and scarred.
No longer will circumstances crush my Dreams.
I’m a Flea ‘trained to jump’, from the jar.

Namyh

[MilesTRanter]

Hi Namyh,

I don't have time at this moment to comment in detail. Just want to let you know that this is my favorite couplet:

it’s not the size of the flea in the fight,
it’s the size of the fight in the flea.

I love the chiasmus and the alliteration. Of course, it also echoes this aphorism by Mark Twain:

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

Also, it reminded me of this Ogden Nash limerick:

A fly and a flea in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, “Let us flee!”
“Let us fly!” said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Best,
Miles

[Namyh]

Miles - Wouldn’t it be great if others would see in themselves that strength of determination they saw in the flea. Perhaps this piece was fated to confirm that we “can” indeed jump higher than we think and what’s needed sometimes is a little testimonial push like this that says that if a flea can do it, well………..? Any man, woman or flea driven by Will to achieve some objective is a force to be reckoned with. Their suction alone will pull you along, maybe right out of a jar. Thanks a lot Miles for stopping by and enjoying this work. I'm feeling better already! Namyh

[Lia]

Hello Namyh,

I enjoyed the determination in this. I also like the point you make here about the way wisdom can be found:

"I learned from the “insignificant”
where significant wisdom is free"

S4 is my favourite stanza and particularly;

"but my eyes perceived a single flea
jumping high and above the rest,
looking for the opening at the top of the jar
where freedom is the dream and the quest."

It rolls very nicely.

I had a thought about S1/L2. At the moment you have;

"I can see fleas on tiny seesaws
sitting tiny swings that sway,"

For clarity, would you consider a comma after 'seesaws' and then 'sat in'? eg:

I can see fleas on tiny seesaws,
sat in tiny swings that sway,

A thought-provoking poem about conditioning and perseverance.

Many thanks,

Lia

[Namyh]

Lia - We are creatures of conditioning and at the same time creatures who defy conditioning. Within each of us is a dividing line between what we settle for and what we yearn for. The difference is not education, status, country of origin or color of skin. The difference is CHOICE and the ACTION required to get there. Sometimes to escape the conditioning jar we humans find ourselves confined in, you just gotta start jumping.. Ask any flea! Thanks a lot Lia for attending thiis evening class in Advanced Fleaology 101. No homework tonight! Namyh

[ray miller]

Nice yarn, very instructive.

to jump the stumbling stones of living
and clear the hurdles of strife
but we bang our heads. We skin our knees.

Could do with a full stop after "strife" and again below after "shout".

Yet the fleas within just could not do it
with freedom as close as a shout
but my eyes perceived a single flea

This flea-trainer jumped “Out” of the jar. - the flea has become the flea-trainer?

I would have quite liked to see the word fleadom instead of freedom.