dedalus Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 The tocsin bell will sound, and there will be solemn ceremonies, there will be reams of newsprint; dozens of TV shows will abound in search of a fresh approach, some new outlook which doesn’t really exist. No human figure remains who saw those days, who wore the uniform; yet still we live with the strains of stillborn failing nations, borderlines in the Middle East, the second scourge of savagery. In Flanders under the falling rain, all along the Ancre and the Somme, stand thousands of still white graves; time may have eased the wrenchng pain of a missing son or brother, but the shadow of great loss persists, stirring modern unease. It is our accepted fashion to blame the statesmen, the blockhead generals, the ignorance, the emotions of the time; but we do not understand the passion that drove this black-and-white world seen now only in jerky newsreels, we cannot see the connections. Quote Drown your sorrows in drink, by all means, but the real sorrows can swim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_con Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 A lament calling for peace, a fitting tribute to the loss and our increasing abstractions of that loss. Interesting how there is nothing settled in this poem- The tension between 'why do we do it?' and the almost nostalgia for a world view now 'lost' are skillfully played. There is an almost social constructivism making the message all the clearer. Thanks Bren! Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 One can only hope that ignorance will be offset by the enlightenment of technology; though human nature seems to have a perverse tendency toward self destruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmarti1 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 but the shadow of great loss persists, Sobering line. And you made me look up tocsin. :) It is our accepted fashion Juris is right, there is no conclusion or settlement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 ... but the shadow of great loss persists, stirring modern unease ... Makes it real by connecting that "black-and-white world" to the colorful one of today. 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...
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