dr_con Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Certain Stories Dear Son So you are having finance problems You are out of your mind if you think I am going to send dollars to piss away I am certainly not going to give it to someone like you who has wasted most of his life doing little or nothing Why do we become poets inheriting a view of self barely watered down from land law Cattle thieves territory grabs and mine by force The steady puritan gaze that denies the creaky infrastructure of this bridge over life’s chasm the yawning abyss which is always satisfied I sicken myself stolen images broken dreams The span sways I can’t even remember the crime That’s why we sit and compose examine bones find them hollow search emptiness and discover Not a breath wasted No remorse in love All part of a piece so much better than before. Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandra Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Very interesting piece and yes, so much better than before. Wonderful expressions, wonderful points. I like this poem a lot, Juris. Interesting title also. Much enjoyed. Aleksandra Quote The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth - Jean Cocteau History of Macedonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelJosol Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 'barely watered down' to describe one's poetic self is an interesting expression - to me that means the narrator has maintained his integrity. Nice one. Quote "Words are not things, and yet they are not non-things either." - Ann Lauterbach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_con Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 JJ & Aleks- Many Thanks for your resonance and enjoyment of this piece- It was a balm for me, and I'm glad it worked for you! ;-) DC&J Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I sometimes wonder whether the steady puritan gaze is the answer. It certainly has staying power. I think the part that strikes me the most is this: I can’t even remember the crime I can't either! But this one's the one that weighs heavily upon me: Not a breath wasted No remorse in love All part of a piece so much better than before. Too bad the only thing I never squandered is lines of verse. A truly excellent composition, Juris. I think it's my new favorite of yours. Thanks for it. Tony Quote Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenlangur Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Hi DC, You often juxtapose the measurable and the immeasurable, the material and the transcendental and I read the poem in this light. In the first stanza, you have a parental/authority figure (almost classic Freudian father figure I read) calibrate the progeny's life, work and achievement and finds it wanting in material terms: So you are having financial problems... who has wasted most of his life doing little or nothing ... The next stanza is a more reflective one in which the 'son' contemplates on the poetical creed and path and their place in the larger context of the trajectory of human endeavors: ... land law Cattle thieves territory grabs and mine by force I read this : The steady puritan gaze that denies the creakyinfrastructure of this bridge over life’s chasm as a reflection on the Puritan ethics of work in which more flighty things like poetry and artistic aspirations perhaps have little or no value and place. The quandary with which the poet begins the reflections is not easily resolved. How haunting that he is left with this thought: Not a breath wasted No remorse in love Even if I got your intent wrong, I enjoyed the thoughts you provoke in this poem. Thank you. Quote goldenlangur Even a single enemy is too many and a thousand friends too few - Bhutanese saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_con Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 Tony, you are generous as always- and many, many thanks! GL- you always see to the heart of the piece, not blinded by my poor obfuscations- Thank You! Really wondrous friends, Juris Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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