From the reeded basket, I stood and gazed across
the sundered waters and I knew. These parched lands,
where the wanderer never seeks the vulture, hold fast
the moisture of tears. Amber in the soil, Easter egg manna.
Come caress my back with your sunlit fingers and tell me
what you find mapped between the sinew. Lions raged against
David but broke their teeth on the Temple and roam no more.
The whale swam to the head waters and served the One
by carrying the end of sin to his own lessons. This baleen
schooling leaving roses to become ash and tears held on the desert floor
as a memorial to the frustration of God. We danced and cast
our seed upon this fallow earth striving to be fruitful
replenish the lush valleys with seas of grain farther than eyes were
meant to see. Gandhi on the Ganges holding the British at bay.
Swim with the fishes as the plates of the starving are made full.
Soap bubbles swim iridescent on a summer lark. Laughing
children run through the parks as commuters choke on the road
home. The holy one lost in a campaign promise to purify
the Chesapeake watershed. Baptize the many and cleanse
the past of it presents to the future. Goliath fell with the shadows.
Slingshots confiscated by airlines along with shampoo. Hair showers
form ringlets on the floor and cancer is the beast at the door. Love
can catch us as we fall like snow upon the sheets, melting with passion,
blending in shared memories our history of loneliness becoming a torus
transformed to mobius, unity an inter linked identity of being.
These apostles of forever wash into the river. Rise up against the levees
and leave the puddles of glory, memories evaporating on our living room rugs.
We sip our mint juleps and become televised for fifteen minutes of Nirvana
before being sent to alternative channels for repeated viewing. Let the rivers run.
Sunlight, electron microscopes, pulsars in the universal night continuously
streaming through the silence, everything singing the circular logic,
the centers pull as we fade and disintegrate with the immaculate airs
of the saved dancing across the language of passions promise. Give me
the rivers of the night, waterfalls of darkness crashing on the rocks of stars.
10:27 PM
09/25/06
Alexandria, VA
Author notes
Blame this on to much gospel on the radio and visions of Hossannah running loose in my head.
Written September 25th, 2006
In a list
What did you think
Comments
1 - 32 of 32
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'waterfalls of darkness crashing on the rocks of stars.'
i like that line.
but televsion I hate, and I really have no time for it. news papers as they call them have little worth to me. tell me love, or truth, or words of wisdom or words of the prophets and thats news.
thank you for the read.
's !!!!
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this was just one of those mad moments full of vision and my own preacher coming loose.
Love, Tom B.
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this was unique
the way you thought to put this poem togeather
it was packed with truth and your faith shines
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What can I tell you? I normally write these deeply sensual pieces.
I let the layering be vertical and so people see what they want to see and ignore the rest. This poem and the other one of mine you read are horizontally layered though this one has a great deal of vertical and mathmatical (where two ideas together create a third)
My spirituality is far bigger than a book and God bless the beings warm heart is far bigger than any effort on our part at understanding. Lots bigger than any book. I always thought it is amazing how we insist that we can know everything about God, like he is a speciman in a Biology class. Guess it feels safer that way. I like being at risk in my Faith
Sorry for running on.
Love, Tom B.
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I love the story of the whale that swallowed jonah. It is a lesson for all that would be righteous and condemning. The part about the rose is awesome. This is all threaded with the human need to still be in relationship no matter what else is going on. I am glad you enjoyed it. I delight in the lessons in the old testament as well as the new. The symbology and imagery is truly magnificent. I probably upset some of the more straight interpeters of the Bible. I don't, by the way do this lightly. I just figure we have to always be expanding our understanding and hopefully enable us to live a more God centered life. Love, Tom B.
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EXCELLENT POEM
Wow this was amazing. I didn't know what to expoect as I started reading. You have a unique outlook on life and faith. I so admire that. Ands would be hard pressed to get things done if they were just starting out in todays enviorment. He would wind up in jail or mugged.
You journey also took me back to my vacation in Williamburg and Jamestown and Maryland and going over the Thank you for a delightful read. Take care, Blessings, Sandy
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Thanks for the heartening and complimentary review. I figure when writing a large over arching poem humor is important. It is also dangerous since it is easy for a joke to fall flat or leave people confused because they assumed they would only find seriousness. So, it pleases me to no end that you were delighted by my sense of humor. Your interpetation of my style as regal caught me off guard since I would never give myself that kind of compliment. Thanks. Love, Tom B.
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This is a rich poem that has biblical proportions to it.
It stands out as having a regal quality. I certainly appreciated the intellectual element and the fine texture of words. Indeed you show talent, as well as thought, and a lot of "letting go" into another reality or expression. I did like that like about "fifteen minutes of nirvana" and have to say this one of the best lines I have read today. It brought a chuckle to my fifteen minutes of Zayra time and I got a kick out of it. Thank you for sharing a poem that has a sense of humor as much as it has a spiritual and magical message.
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How I would love to be able to get into that head of yours at times for a loooooong analytical session (but I am afraid I would not get past the intelligence)I had to read this a few times......it did tell me that there is a lot of thinking and interpreting going on in there. This is brilliant and I love the progression from then to now (as if we are walking in a circle that never changes) and it doesn;t. It is just our ways off walking it that change. I also agree with the above comment----this could almost be 2 poems and all I can do is walk away humbly and smile at the mention of the Chesapeake watershed. It is one of my major concerns .....as I could almost throw pebbles into it from my window. Best of luck---but do not think it is needed.
BTW, Bryan did wonderful They were able to splice 1 of the 2 valves and make a 3rd one....should be home this coming week. His pic is in my collections on author page under "hearts-a defective and a broken one"
much love always,
reenie
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You are highly complimentary. Thank you. I am glad you caught the allusions. I didn't want to preach just catch the image in a way that created a paradigm for viewing it. There is I think a clear voice in this poem and maintaining that while working with a macroscopic view of the ideas held in this was quite a challenge. I am glad you feel I pulled it off. Love,Tom B.
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Thanks, Rohina. It was a challenge to create the blend of mystical, magical, everyday that I was looking for. There was a song by Arrested Development called "Washed Away" that kept running through my head at point while writing this. There are more than two poems possible from this. This is a macroscopic view. I write a lot of microscopic. I like them to echo each other. Love, Tom B.
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I don't know if every one who judges my poems would agree
But, thanks for believeing me to that extent. You are very kind. Love, Tom B.
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Thank You very much. I appreciate and value your compliment. Your joy is my pleasure. Love, Tom B.
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Thanks for all of your compliments. I hope I live up to them. Love Tom B.
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Your comment reminds me of the song by Joni Mitchell "The Circle Game" Thanks for enjoying my poem. Love, Tom B.
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Thanks dear, It is good to know I touched you. Love, Tom B.
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Wow sounds like you had quite a few different inspirations for this piece; I love the religious side to it it seems sort of raw and open out there but intriguing at the same time not like someone going on and on and on about it like so many other poems on here do. Your descriptions and imagery are as usual amazing and jump out in a pleasant way. The idea behind this the main focus; stunning. You really out did your self with this piece. So much to grasp and yet we are all smarter for reading this piece. Great job dad you did awesome!
♥ Jordanne ♥ -
Tsk tsk, the world and its complications
Blame it on anything, this was absolutely phenomenal. So much into one poem, this has the potential to become into 2 seperate poems if you ask me.
All the best for the contest sweety - I loved the direction in which you went with the contest brief
Rohina
p.s - I'm pretty sure it's spelt Gandhi? -
Tom...
I am sitting here not really knowing what to say because this was simply excellent and I have no words for this piece...Your creations are always contest winners...So I will wish you the best for the contest because it deserves gold...
Thank you for sending me the link...You know what I like to read...
Love you bunches
Tes
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As always, an amazing piece from you, Tom...It is always a pleasure to stop and read your beautiful work!
Lynda
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**NO COMMENTS**!!! =]
Hi there. This poem of yours is just AMAZING!! It has everything that a gr8 poet would appreciate it! Your a gr8 poet too! I really have NO COMMENTS for this EXCELLENT piece dear! Best of Luck in the contest.. for sure you'll win! GOD bless you all the time with alot of Love
Lots of Love and Blesses,
*$h@Mz*
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Timeless
Oh, of timelessness and change, the simplicity of what was and the complexity of what is ... there always is a constant in the change to this world ... the headwaters and source that keep on flowing ... like this poem. DJ -
Insomnia this week...sigh...and here I am, with a lump in my throat of all things, after reading this work of yours. I don't have a brilliant comment or a constructive crit in me...all I can do is feel right now, and these words made me feel.
Lane -
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Yes it seemed to spill out of me like a torrent of spiritual memories that i didn't know existed until I wrote them. Love,Tom B.
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left me a little wide eyed
Umm...whoa. So much to grasp here. It's quite different, overflowing actually. I enjoyed reading it..almost felt like I was in awe
Not sure how to express what I'm thinking...best wishes.
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This is a song of high praise. Leaves me feeling honored by your taking the time to read and being vulnerable enough to be moved. For all of your gifts, Love,Tom B.
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So worth reading. I am glad you featured this as it enlightened my early morning perusing. Very deep yet deep with a soft whispered quality like the Lord Himself would use. Thank you, FaeryPixieFey in solemn silence applauds your poem this day.
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Thank for taking to time to share. I appreicate it greatly. Love, Tom B.
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Really a work that leaves me back speechless and thinking-a lot of different impressions-very much of information-nice pictures-a very own style
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Yours is great! In my poetry, I use ALOT of ellipses, to me, it adds to the emotions, it sort of brings about a pause, but more than that, it just, I dont know, Adds to the emotion of the pause
Its hard to explain. Thanks for your comment and good luck
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This poem is full of hope, heroes and love. This time the spiritual content is at the forefront and I have managed not to be too preachy. Bad habit of mine. Thanks for being turned on by all that.
On a deeper level, there is a connection between you and I that we manage to honor almost inspite of ourselves. Sometimes I think we ignore one another just to see if we can get away with it or to prove to ourselves that no matter how long we are gone the other one is always there for us. NO Matter What. It just doesn't matter, so I have stopped arguing and trying to pretend I have any idea of what is going on. Glad it makes me happy. Love, Tom B. -
First of all let me say this: WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!
Tom,
to me, your poetry always seems so filling... so wonderfully filling. Perhaps it is because I heart you so dearly, but I must admit that I have always been drawn to your poems. They all touch me in some unexplainable way... or caress me in ways that other poets could never do. Why is this? I think that your poems go into caverns of my heart and soul... they linger through my veins like the blood that I need to survive. But this poem.. it is much deeper than most of yours. the wording seems to go deeper and the meaning much more ... wholesome??? wording is difficult for me to find about this poem. Second to the cabin... it is a new favorite. I adore it. Thanks so much for sharing this with me...
Mel
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