drowse

[Benjamin]

science and theology

chase tails ad infinitum

wonder at the universe

and why it exists at all

or if it has a purpose

who'll dare to say-- what is it?

 

all ye know and need to know

wrapped up in human resolve

with features both dark and light

smacked bottoms to herrenvolk

sapience that might is right

using bias as a tool

and our little world a lathe

to reshape all the old lies

 

but lovers still play 'misty'

in novel youthful places

and the poor-- always with us--

stretch out their tacit faces

like totems of the long dead

that mouth the griefs of ages

[dr_con]

Poignant, well crafted, and to the point. I do like it so, and oddly reflects my thinking these days! Well done.

 

Juris

[Benjamin]

Thanks Juris.

Garden chair, sun hat, cold drink, just watching the bees. G.

[David W. Parsley]

Geoff, I like the philosophical whimsy. Frustration and bewilderment vie with glimmers of hope. The explicit allusion to the rise of a new fascism is in consonance with Barry's "Gravedigger" poem. My son came back from a recent sojourn in Europe and disclosed concerns of his own on this count. Can we really allow ourselves this repetition of a fore-damned descent?

 

A number of original and relevant rhyme pairs help the movement of the piece. But can the voice of the poet be heard? How many readers remain who will even recognize and resonate with your sources? The Gospel figure proclaims, ".. the poor are with you always..."; clearly though He is not, as foretold, at least not visibly in the subtly anguished poem you give us. And the Poet concludes his Ode with its echo from the roots of civilization idealizing the equivalence of Truth and Beauty, with the inherited conviction, "That is all ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know." The need is as strong as ever, but do we know?

 

Thank You (I think),

- Dave

[Benjamin]

Hi Dave many thanks for taking the time to deliver such a detailed response to this short piece.

Many poets write with assumptions that their readers will understand some, if not all the things they know; and if not, hopefully they will appreciate the way in which those things are expressed. We each perceive things in a uniquely personal way, depending on life experiences and our ability to understand that which we have assimilated. The "drowse" was like watching a plethora of books floating on the ether, without feeling the need to open one, because you've already read them.

 

Re: Europe. It sustained a terrific economic battering following the financial meltdown, with certain countries teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Greece has fared particularly badly. I recall a local Mormon family who'd ministered there for three years until recently; returning to the relative comfort of England's current austerity.The poverty they'd witnessed in Greece was so distressing. Sadly today brings news that Europe is slipping backwards economically which does not bode well for any of us. Regards Geoff.