I thought you thought our words could bind
Our minds to humble, lofty space -
Instead I find that love once kind
Chose first to please an outward face.
Angelic songs, in solitude,
Grasp quick alchemic mystery.
The eye’s internal change of mood
Based quickly on past history.
Forbearance strolls unbeaten path,
Humility is honor’s throne -
False pride, a devil’s utile staff
While stars that shine now shine alone.
Does heaven’s grace perhaps get masked
By lesser joy for earthly share?
Yet all the while, you never asked
But knew I found much comfort there.
Thank you my friend for songs well sung
As silence woke my sleepy brain,
So rousing thoughts from well-spring sprung
And still this day with me remain ...
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Author notes
Forbearance - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun;
Loved the wood-rose, and left it on its stalk;
At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse;
Unarmed, faced danger with a heart of trust;
And loved so well a high behavior
In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained,
Nobility more nobly to repay?—
O be my friend, and teach me to be thine!
“Nobility more nobly to repay?—”
Nobility - the quality of being exalted in character or ideals or conduct
Exalted -of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
Conduct - (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
Forbearance - a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due or good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence.
1) As I pondered the real meaning within Emerson’s poem, I found his question mark in line #7 the most interesting and wondered whether this thought posed as a question, rather than a statement, really addressed issues that he faced within his personal life … the difficulty of meeting people with whom he could relax with and expose his personage without constantly trying to impress them with his knowledge. Although he was sought after for his essays I do believe that his soulful-ness held a greater importance and more of what he wished to share with others. I then read the poem from my years of experiences meeting others and seemed to be able to understand the dynamics of his last line. “O be my friend, and teach me to be thine!”
Often, we sit in a place with others where the scale seems unbalanced to either degree and therefore true friendships take the long way home. To be able to sit quietly with a friend, where silence becomes the yarn that weaves a warm blanket, is sure to move the heart to a new realm without the ‘true insignificance’ of always trying to impress them by who we are or what we have done in our past. It seems to take an earthly death for this philosophy to take on new meaning. Present moment awareness is often enhanced when we meet strangers with whom we connect and brings to light a kind of déjà vu feeling.
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2) My reoccurring dream seems to always be the joyous gathering of friends where all is so easy and pretenses are laid aside. We enjoy the company of each other and who, what, where and how are questions that never seem to enter into the dream.
I feel that my dreams are almost heavenly experiences where souls meets souls and the judgmental nature of human behavior never seems to enter the scene. I always seem to wake from these dreams feeling a sense of renewal that never seems to duplicate itself in my waking hours. I am extremely sensitive to others and seem to feel that many people spend a good deal of time with their masks securely fastened and it’s not often that they are able to share that part of friendship that is most rewarding. “Love one another” is often weighted down by sexuality and/or political correctness, thereby leaving true relationships shallow and loose and standing on their own merits.
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3) As a poet there is always the sense of competition that comes with sharing one’s thoughts and doing so in a manner that is “acceptable,” to the reader, in form. Content seems to only reach those, who of like-mind, understand the metaphors and are willing to accept that in an imperfect world there will be those nuances that don’t exactly reach perfection. The joy of friendship is found in the true understanding that comes with “I know how you feel and can appreciate what you were trying to say”. Sublime meanings are felt from the inside out and cause one to want to repay the favor of a greater understanding found because someone paused to share their innermost philosophy.
A contest entry
- Poem. Dream. Conflict. by Annalise.
3000 points, ended March 10, 2008, 11 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please take the time to share your comments and thoughts about this poem ...
Comments
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I find your author notes (steps to the exercise) informative, well thought out and honestly, a joy to read. I felt as if I were reading a literary essay.
The poem itself is also well thought out and written. Presentation is almost professional.
Basically, I'm in awe of the time and effort you must have put into this. My comment pales in comparison, really.
Thank you.
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The exercise is interesting in the sense that what seems to be as revealing about the poets who have embarked on this journey, is the way in which they have approached it as much as the actual content. Yours is scholarly (as the chap below this comment says) yet with a warmth in all sections for both technique and content, I would guess, this extends into the approach to human contacts also. I hope you are a teacher of children.
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Author notes are ones of some scholarship on your part. To this extent, the poem
is pregnant with meaning.
It is a worthy if deep poem with a sense of polite forbearance touching upon noblesse oblige.
Thank you for directing me here. This is a fine stanza:
Forbearance strolls unbeaten path,
Humility is honor’s throne -
False pride, a devil’s utile staff
While stars that shine now shine alone
Ron. 
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