dr_con Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Nest The twenty second floor a powerful view of the Bay windows that stretch from here to the horizon, not mine, of course I am to be seen but not heard an Oxpecker, mending clocks without the tick, this tower would not exist, equations frozen, daunting, empty glacial without melt we can't live among these crags driven out by hierarchies lacking the basics for our survival- Comfort, Challenge, Community Rhinos have Universities and Colleges Birds left at the door, "Business as usual" among the twigs and feathers the wild ecologies of symbiotes and scavengers, the displaced and their arts weaving foundations of interlocked detritus those in their towers think of as bone The sun rises, the Golden Gate glows back down we go, all of it passes but the time and its reasons only birds and we, know. Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandra Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Dr.con, this is wonderful metaphorical poem. Full with good imageries. You started this poem very quiet and slowly, in descriptive form. And that is connecting to the end very nice, especially with the line: " The sun rises, the Golden Gate glows ". I enjoyed this poem very much, it have some modern metaphor. Thank you for sharing. 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...
tonyv Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Dr. Con, I had to Google the Oxpecker. I presumed it was a bird, but I had to find out if it was the woodpecker. If I understand correctly, it is not. There's a lot going on, it seems, on a sociological level, and it's most apparent here: we can't live among these crags driven out by hierarchies lacking the basics for our survival- Comfort, Challenge, Community Rhinos have Universities and Colleges, and here: weaving foundations of interlocked detritus those in their towers think of as bone, but I think what I like most in this poem is the setting, as captured in these parts: The twenty second floor a powerful view of the Bay windows that stretch from here to the horizon, not mine, of course ... The sun rises, the Golden Gate glows back down we go, all of it passes ... I love cityscapes, and I always enjoy local references. Somewhere I heard that birds are prehistoric, genetically close to dinosaurs or reptiles -- a feather is like a scale -- but really, I probably just have no idea what I'm talking about. I do recall something from the Christian Bible's Book of Revelations, where it says the birds will feast on the flesh of the kings of the earth. Indeed, I believe that birds will eventually serve some higher, useful purpose, such as that. I love the title. 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...
dr_con Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Thanks Tony, Aleks! Just some very early morning ruminations on imperialist hieerarcies and their discontents;-) DC Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lake Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 dr_con , The title and the content remind me of the Bird's Nest in Beijing where 2008 Olympics was held. Some of the concerns and discontent of the Bird's Nest were well expressed in and could be related to the thoughts in your poem. Thanks for the fine read. Lake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_con Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Thanks Lake! An association which I had not considered- An excellent example of what I mean by unfolding in the reader;-) DC Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelJosol Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Wow, DrC, the word "crag" in itself carries many potential meanings. It conflicts from my Bible-reading context where a crag is often used metaphorically as a place of refuge, isolation though a difficult place to be in. When you wrote "we can't live among these crags" I married the Bible context, Maslow's hierarchies, and the social pyramid representing weath accumulators - is definitely not a nice image to have. 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...
goldenlangur Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Hello DC, The nest/tower seems like a contemporary Noah's ark, except perhaps the narrator is unsure what is worth saving and what can be saved. The interlacing of the surroundings view of the Bay , the Golden Gate with the ruminations gives a sense of abstracted unease. There's so much at stake and how impotent the individual. I first learned of the Golden Gates in Vikram Seth's work of the same name. Happy New Year. goldenlangur 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 May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 JJ and GL, many thanks for the piercing insights! Maslow's hierarchies indeed JJ, and the impotence and Noah's ark qualities are indeed there beneath the subtext, GL wow, I'm very impressed by the quality of discussion that happens here on PMO, you all bring a wealth of perspectives and experience to the humble craft of poetry;-) DC Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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