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A Tightrope Walk from Nadir to Nadir

Posters are plastered on the city's limbs,

the word spreads.

Society enters with magnifying glasses

and diminished minds.

A Russian pride from Gir

jumps through hoops

and blushes.

Nietzsche's tightrope walker

fumbles in awe.

 

Women sneak out of their cages

and men tremble

as they prepare for battle-

their heads, spinning like plates.

They hide swords in esophaguses,

that go down well with peristalsis. 

One gulps down a fire

and snorts.

 

The clown, conscious,

as if part of some psychological research

conducted from the corner

of a stoic eye,

sweats, while spectators

juggle about in their pockets

and flip coins

to decide the curve of their lips.

 

When they go home, they leave behind

reverberations of giggles and boos

to watch the clown and ringmaster

indulge in anti-christ love;

their notions and philosophies

clinging to the clocks

like extinct lizards;

broad-minded, modern dinosaurs,

 

skeletons

assembled in a historical circus. 

Author notes

Outdated people, outdated notions.

The tightrope walker according to Friedrich Nietzsche is humanity in transformation.
Russian pride from Gir-
Gir is in Gujarat, India. A lot of circuses in India (and I bet, in other parts of the world too) claim to have animals and artists from exotic locations. Infact, there's this place which claims to give you a ride on the back of a Yak which is actually rumored to be a cow Okay, now I'm just ranting!
142 words. Raazi

Thanks for the tip, tyler. The historical circus refers to museums, of course.

A contest entry

Please tell me what you think

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Comments

1 - 9 of 9

  • Exodus gold member
    February 25, 2008

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    Some lines of this just don't seem to tie in quite right while others work wonderfully. I'm not sure if this is intensionally done to throw the reader off or not but you might want to be careful not to overdo it. In some parts some stanzas (specifically the third) it seems unorganised and messy to the eye.
    All that aside your use of language was wonderful and was, I think, one of the main things that tied the poem together.

    Thank you


  • Naridill gold member
    February 24, 2008

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    Talked with taste - I was on off with this one - some phrasing stunning - other bland but all in all - a very intriguing piece.


    • Raazi
      February 24, 2008
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      Thanks Could you please point out a couple of places you felt it was bland, so that I can work on them?
      ~Udit

      • Naridill gold member
        February 24, 2008
        Edit | Reply
        It's on and off - it's like the wording is all mixed up and not consistent - which does add some effect but feels a little tiring when constant. It's hard to explain but I don't think its editable without editing the whole piece.


  • Tangled Angle
    February 23, 2008

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    94.9

    I really like your ideas and metaphors. Like last round, i still feel that there'd be more effectiveness if your ideas had some relevance...not only meaning-wise...but object-wise. I think with better transitioning, the dinosaur/lizard theme could tie in with the circus theme that could also tie in with the cage, battle, and so on..ideas. What you have here is well structured and concise...perhaps a little bit too much...I think with -some- elaboration doors would have been opened to better transitioning of themes.
    I like to think of poems with different images like a sunrise and sunset. You start out with black sky, then go to dark purple, dark blue, indigo, blue, and finally sky-blue...then you go from sky-blue to light purple, to purple, to pink to red to orange and so so and so forth. With your poems everything just seems to be like Red, then white, then black, then green; not much transitioning.
    I think my example of what I am trying to say might not be a good one.
    But the bottom line is...I think with the themes...instead of jumping around, you ought to smooth it out.
    Anyway, now -I'm- ranting. lol
    This was a really strong and profound poem. You did an excellent job.


  • Laughing Buddh
    February 20, 2008

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    interesting...........first,i thought u were talking about a circus,then,when i looked a bit deeper,it seemed like a scene from a whorehouse or a bar,after a while,the word 'showbiz' came to my mind.......and then i realised this is about humanity in general..........after all,all the world's a stage!and that's the beauty of this poem........it's intelligent as it's very open-ended.


  • james119
    February 18, 2008

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    thought provoking

    I do love the imagery and pathos of this poem. It grabs the imagination and shakes security at the same time. It is a scene played out in bars and shops world over, names changed to protect the innocent. The clown is the most interesting, in his interaction with the crowd. Their tentative attitude and jaded response is so much like... ( politics, religion, philosophy itself) Perhaps the most interesting to me is the title. The ends of the tightrope are the high points, yet for you they are the nadirs. This is an interesting juxtaposition. I would call it cynical, but for the beauty of the poem. It exposes an enduring hope.
    Cheers, James


  • shuvi
    February 18, 2008

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    Very exquisite, I would call it quirky but in a positive way. You have managed to do it very nicely, and given it a very different frame and approach, so kudos. Or maybe, this IS really your style of writing. Anyway, I liked what you have done here, and a very queer subject as well, but you have written it with finesse, so very well done
    Love and cheers, shuvi

1 - 9 of 9