Ethereal visions
spread diaphanous flight
across the sky ~
Earth's ancient wisdom
wonders at starlight's demise...
We are impermanent,
at best ~
we exhale Love
as easily as we weep
for dreams left unattended...
Madness comes
on Midnight wings
& leaves flowers with glee
on the doorstep
of sunrise
to beckon the delight
of surrender...
Life is filled
with an infinite palette
& exudes rainbows
in our path,
while survival
bleeds pale
designs
of black & white ~
destruction
in the heart
of Creation...
~ December 28, 2005
9:15 p.m.
Author notes
Graphic artist unknown
Picture courtesy of Theater Of Dreams
"survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people"
Written December 28th, 2005
A contest entry
- Darwin, Charles by whitecoffee.
1100 points, ended July 22, 13 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 56 of 56
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I think my brain has rotted a bit in the last few years. Or maybe it was the adrenaln and endorphins...
I think natural selection is self evident, the most critical survival strategy being flexibility. You were on tired last legs, out of ideas. I can't express the profound sadness listening to your bravery facing long odds. But you found a way...
But you can't run natural selection back to origins. And very few evolutionists specialize in origins. And a mechanism for adaption is a very good engineering trick.
Best to you my long time friend -
Oh I love this, so deep and flowing.
"on the doorstep
of sunrise
to beckon the delight
of surrender..."
Just beautiful... I'll have to read this again.
Best wishes,
K
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your last four stanzas hit home with such ease and skill, I am almost embarassed by my longish essay on Darwin ... which I have not submitted yet
waiting from judge to see if a long prose piece with a poem is acceptable in this contest ... but you summed it up in such short and flawless beauty ... you wrapped it tight like a blanket around a preciousness that needs no scientific theory or wisdom, but is,in fact, the truth of continuum.
wow
... should I come within ten miles of this contest ... 'shakes head scuttles away* ... this poem is a wonder
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Superb. The words are like honey in this, they read so slow and wonderful. Ah, I loved it! Thank you so much for entering this.
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...
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Simply beautiful. You shouldn't have kept it hidden in your locker for so long.
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I'm glad you consider me lucky. Hopefully I am for you
I share the same veiw on this piece as with all of your poetry, but I think this piece touches the mind, body and sould of your reader. Its images and mystical words seem to have both concious and subconcious effects as I read, and that is incredibly hard to do. I can see why you won
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Ah I can see brother James all over that fabulous mythical pic! Teearz is right... this is going to be a booger to judge... Fantastic entries pouring in right off the bat! well done!
Thanks for sharing it and entering the contest...
Best wishes and good luck
Frog~ -
Ouch my head hurts already lol.
I can see this is going to be a tough contest,
your wording was explict and your picture drew
the magic of it all together.
Thanks for sharing
Love and Light
Frozentearz -
Thank you for your kind words, Gypsy...I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Lady...Indeed, we are impermanent in this realm; I often tell people, especially the younger ones, how very brief Life truly is & we should savor each moment...If you ask a 100 year~old person, they'll tell you it was gone in the blink of an eye, the breadth of a whisper...It's only when we're younger that Time seems to drag its feet...as we get older, it moves far too quickly...& none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow...Thanks for reading, my Friend... Wanda
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Awesome and quite the beautiful and insightful piece. I really love the line "We are impermanent,at best" for indeed, we are, at least in this realm! Excellently penned!
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Thank you for reading & for your kind comments, countrybabe...I'm pleased you enjoyed it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Awesome
Not much I can say on this that is any different from the comments above...you have written a truly amazing piece here. It is so captivating in so many ways. Good luck to you in the contest.
Keep writing
Countrybabe 
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Thank you, BalladCrow...I see you know my Friend James, jaunty pill...loved the 'origami swan' line; my nickname is Swanee & a Friend of mine had the word 'origami' in his name...
Thanks for coming by...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Natural selection and survival of the fittest ... all the way. A unique style and universal imagery, enjoyable read.
BC -
Thanks for your lovely comment, Danna...I'm glad you liked it, my Friend...Thanks for hosting a great contest...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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I didn't look at who the poem belonged to as I started reading, but I recognized your style right away. Your writing is very unique. Thanks for entering this. It is beautiful.
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Thank you, rosebud...I'm glad you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Well, I'm not sorry...& you are not too dumb for anything, my Friend...least of all, this poem...It's about 'survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people...Thank you for commenting, even if I am a bit obscure sometimes... Wanda
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now, the whole piece was great but the part that took my breath away was:
we exhale Love
as easily as we weep
for dreams
left unattended.....THIS is commentless....congratz!!!
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Thank you, Brenda...I'm glad you liked it, my Friend...Happy New Year to you & yours...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Thank you, Mumbled-Whispers...I'm glad you liked it...Happy New Year to you & yours...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Heyyy, I like your comments...Especially liked the one ya did for robert bolin about Coleridge & Iron Maiden... Nahhh, no Henry Vaughan here...Thanks for reading, zpradeep...I'm glad you enjoyed it...Be well, Poet...Happy New Year to you & yours... Wanda
'I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driv'n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov'd; in which the world
And all her train were hurl'd...'
~ 'The World'
Henry Vaughan (1622? ~ 1695)
Edited on Jan 01, 12:54 because ''. -
survival has been on my mind a whole big bunch lately it seems. how fitting you've written a poem about it.
'Madness comes
on Midnight wings
& leaves flowers with glee
on the doorstep
of sunrise'
these lines hit home with me. madness, depression, giving up can be very cleverly clothed at times...in costume so one doesn't recognize them
i applaud the poet and the poem
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just awesome man..keep up the good work..are we seeing a new henry vaughan here?
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Beautiful
I like this, so much imagery, well done. -
Thanks, Annie...
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Thanks for reading, somedayREnamed2v17...I'm glad you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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What do I think??? Well, first of all, I was thinking about 'survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people...secondly...this has got to be one of the longest, most detailed critiques I've ever received...thirdly...you sure think a lot & deeply, don'tcha, my Friend??? Wowzer...hmmm...well, I always liked the anecdote about someone asking Einstein, 'As a scientist, how can you believe in God?' His reply was, 'As a scientist, how can I not?' Your words: 'I honestly may have to quit reading you... Its almost deleriously demoralizing, whats left to say?' Please don't... I'm quite sure you'll find something to say...Other than that...wow...I dunno what to say to all of that, really...I know I believe in God...& I know I've seen evidence of some sort of evolution...adaptation to environment, if nothing else...Thank you for such an intricate critique, my Friend...Ya kinda stunned me with this one... Even if I weren't ill & with a cloudy head, I'd have difficulties answering this one...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Okay! Either I have a tremendous case of seeing what I want to see, Or nobody else gets it, or you are not in touch with your subconcious about your true feeling toward Darwinism. Ready? I may be way off base here but lets see... First stanza: Earthereal, diaphanous vs ancient wisdom. Darwin taps pencil on teeth and dreams up(visions=dreams) with fanciful, contra indicated notions of random spontaeneous generation.(Flights of fancy-if you are going to fly, it best be on something more structurally sound than diaphanous) The heavens declare the glory of God; He who sees nature and denies God is without excuse-2 scriptures I will look up only if you twist my arm. Love the next 2 stanzas. I honestly may have to quit reading you... Its almost deleriously demoralizing, whats left to say? Next madness comes, leaves flowers, seduces. Bunches of people embraced Darwinism gleefully saying now they can ignore God beginning with Huxley, Darwin's champion and PR man. Some people are honest enough to say God could use a natural selection process in creation but the bulk are seduced away from God by it. I've read lots on this site saying exactly that. Next: Life's infinite palate vs black and white. An infinite God might create an unbounded creation. Ours is beyond our ability to understand. Light years? for distance? Who can really understand something we use light to measure that is growing faster than light? Do we really have a ghost of a chance to understand what is the universe? And at nearly 50 they have found the smallest components of matter at least 4 times that I can remember. Obviously the scientists will peel more layers off that onion. So many interdependent systems, such complexity. How do you evolve color vision? How did cetatians learn to birth tail first underwater? The learning curve is very strait; mistakes drown; no room for selection. With God there is room for "I don't know how he did it. I only know its marvelous." Darwins first takes, gratuitous assertions and mistaken deductions oversimplify and are statistically rediculous hence black and white. Example: One could conclude that wearing a bra causes breast cancer as the 50% of the population that never wears them rarely gets it. In a hypothetical first cell simplified, the amino acids required to fill the DNA spirals would have to randomly show up (only 25% of AA are useable) then attach end to end ten thousand times left hand only for one spiral, and one hundred thousand times right handed for the other spiral. Each connection has a fifty fifty chance of getting the handedness right. This is the chirality argument. Believing themselves wise, they were made fools; In the last days men will reject the truth and believe lies. This I see as "Madness." Scriptures again, arm twisting again. Hence, Destruction in Creation. What do you think?
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Excellent beautifully scripted... Two thumbs
Awesome!! Magnficent!! Excellent write the imagery is fantastic the flow a symphony in words the wisdom is the poetic wonder embroidered by your skill and talent Brava!! Two thumbs up!! Alas, I have no applause left... 
but it doesn't matter this is a winner in any book Excellent!! Wishing you a wonderous New Year and much success in all of your endeavors
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This was great! The peaceful tone comes clearly. The image of leaving flowers on the doorstep was well chosen, and I loved the stanza, "Madness...Midnight wings." Keep it up!
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Ah, it does come down to survival of the fittest sometimes I suppose. Great metaphor!
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Thank you, Danna...I'm glad you enjoyed it, my Friend...I was thinking about 'survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Thank you, DreamGurlOfThePast...I was thinking about 'survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people...I'm glad you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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What a fantastic ending. The whole poem was great, but I really love the ending. Leaves me with lots to think about.
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Interesting. I havn't read a whole lot to do with Darwinism, and this is lovely. This is a wonderful write.
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Depends on which 'decent folk' you be referrin' to, wattle... Where I come from, we have heard of the Scopes Monkey Trial...& Clarence Darrow... Thank you, my Friend... Lady Peach, the rabble rouser ~ rebel without a pause...
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Thank ya, Madame Liberryan... Wander
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Lady Peach in touch (love) with Darwin's ism; how radical. I’m thinking the ‘decent folk’ on the plains, believe Darwinism is about the mark non-believers have on their forehead, after generations of being hit down by a cross wheeler.---- Lovely scribe, thank you.
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This is about the most spiritual Darwinism I think I've ever seen Miss Wander Beautifully written with that eternal optimism shining in survivial gear
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Thanks for reading, Shancy...I'm glad you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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You really have some beautiful imagery for one to float away in. I am vehemently against Darwin's Theory but I didn't find anything in this poem that offended me. Everything worked well together to make art. Great job. Shancy.
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Thank you, Vampiric Fox Demon...I'm glad you enjoyed it...thanks for comin' by...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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You're a wise man, doc... Thank you, my illustrious Friend... Wanda
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Wanda,
This is a nice piece. I love the title. The last stanza made me think of devolution. The third stanza made me think of evolution to a more feeling species...Maybe the message is we can evolve in that way, but in the end we still do an injustice to creation? It was a nice piece that made me think...not knowing your theology (though I think I have an idea) it is fun trying to figure out exactly the message here...knowing you and your talent, there is no doubt that multiple threads of multiple messages are here for the reader to assemble...the bottom line is that this piece turned my head and made me stop and read it again...that is a good thing. Thank you, my friend!
~Doc
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Ya shoulda seen how big my eyes got...roflmao 'Sufferin' succotash', eh??? Haven't heard that one in awhile...I missed it, too... 'Vampyritic', huh??? Welll...bite me...LMAO 'Your continual light frosts my cornflakes and does not get soggy in milk.' That's a good thing, right???
Thank ye kindly, my Friend...ever enlightenin', y'are...& yeah, eventually I felt my leg bein' pulled...kinda felt like I was on the rack... Wander
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Thank you, Kind Sir...I'm glad you liked it, my Friend... Wanda
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Even in your dark, you are white shimmering cobwebs of hope, anticipation, and optimism.
Suffering succotash! Don't you know we are the walking dead, animated by pain and the promise of more pain?
Vampyritic in nature, we prey and feed on one another's molecular and emotional dishabille, leaving nothing but skin and bone in our wake.
Your continual light frosts my cornflakes and does not get soggy in milk.
You know I'm yanking, right?
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I avoid the madness at midnights but your poem makes me think about all the what ifs.......very pretty wanda.
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Beautiful. Such vivid imagery. I love the emotion in this. Great job and keep on writing!
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Thank you, Daydreamermarie...I'm glad it seemed lucid to you...I do get a lil' obtuse sometimes... I'm pleased you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Thanks, Kirby...I'm glad you liked it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Excellentlly written
Powerful imagery! You really did capture the Darwin's theory of life with your words. The flow of the verses sounded like the words were floating in the night breeze during a full moon night over the ocean. -
Thanks for your lovely comment, Blue Eyed Skies...I was thinking about 'survival of the fittest' in terms of creative people...I get a lil' obscure sometimes... Thanks for reading...I'm glad you liked it...let alone actually questioned me when you weren't sure...I like that in a reader...makes me think harder, too...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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This has some truly lovely imagery. Maybe I'm too thick to get this, but I didn't exactly understand the connection between the title and the subject matter, as breathtaking as it is. Nevertheless, you are a true artist and I applaud you.
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