Let there be light,
let there be chaos,
fragmentary time
itself crushed by disorder.
In nanoseconds unfathomed,
unknown laws take hold,
physics and mathematics
paint beauty in lieu of emptiness.
Is there an artist unseen,
a painter, an architect,
constantly shaping his sculpture,
or watching its child grow freely?
Millennia unfold slowly, intricately
until the void teems with galaxies,
where dischord and harmony dances
in hidden clouds full of stars.
There is an ebb and flow,
a finely tuned balance
between creation and destruction,
as if an unseen hand controls order.
Around these scattered stars
uncountable by any length of mortality,
innumerable planets circle,
mimicking the electrons that orbit nuclei.
On one such world,
from the chemical soup
life slowly arose, grew,
moving ever forward.
Until it took a form
where its eyes filled with wonder
at all that it saw before it,
yet could not comprehend.
Life began to question,
what am I? Where do I come from?
Are we all alone?
How did I come to be?
Many years of looking,
the wonder never fades
though the question remains unanswered,
theories are legion and splintered.
There are those that deny
even the thought of a designer,
it is an idealistic myth for the unthinking,
the universe nothing but a quirky anomaly.
There are others who have faith,
who either see a hand guiding all,
or a mind that at least shaped the cosmic egg,
the beauty of the Universe itself a sign.
And so it goes on, perhaps eternally,
this dance between dischord and harmony
between logic and romantic vision,
where perhaps, no answer will ever be found.
As it may be, the more we look
for a glimpse of ‘God’,
the more we understand,
the further it slips away from us.
Perhaps it is the way of things
that it is never meant to be understood,
whether intellect has denied soul in beauty,
or we have humanized something beyond reason.
Let there be enlightenment,
let there be balance,
diametrical theologies
can dance forever in dischord and harmony.
Author notes
Lots of thoughts in this piece, musing on creation, intelligent design, and the big question, is there a God or isn't there? If there is, does it still shape and control, or did it design and has let the universe (and life) take it's own path ever since. I use the metaphor 'dance between dischord and harmony' as an analogy to various things here. It is used both literally to describe physical creation of stars and the parallel of entropy, also use it as an analogy of the opposing stances of thought in science and faith.
Not sure if it makes any sense or not, but it is very much a stream of consciousness and they aren't always necessarily meant to make sense, just there to explore thought.
I also don't openly state my own personal belief in this piece as I don't see that as being the point of the piece, nor pertanent, though, there are small fragments of thoughts that I definately do lean towards within it.
(Sorry for the long notes).
In a list
A contest entry
- Intelligent Design (Your opinion) by aslanlight.
600 points, ended March 30, 2008, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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Your poem is a philosophical thesis and reminds me of Spinoza.
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Thank you very much. I was hoping that it just wasn't a little too confusing or rambling.
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Well done
This is an intelligent, polished piece. You posit the clash between science understanding and the hope of faith eloquently. Your metaphorical exploration of the core theme of dischord and harmony, romance and logic is nicely done.
The last four stanzas are probably correct in term of humanity's intellectual future.
"And so it goes on, perhaps eternally
This dance between dischord and harmony
Between logic and romantic vision
Where perhaps, no answer will ever be found
As it may be, the more we look
For a glimpse of ‘God’
The more we understand
The further it slips away from us"
This is a really nice set of lines.
I myself am an "athiest", or whatever you want to call someone who denies supernatural explanations for reality, and I personally find Intelligent Design contemptuous, but this poem certainly reflects feelings I struggled with once.
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Thank you.
It's just one of those subjects I suppose that a lot of people struggle with to come to a conclusion. Do we believe all that science tells us, or when science fails, do we turn to faith for that 'comfort factor'.
What I find worrying is that science is, to an extent becoming a new religion and is displaying all the same modus operandi that churches have been using for years. It is becoming very much theory based where people have to take truths on faith rather than hard, verifiable evidence, it is becoming in a lot of ways, corrupt, driven by greed and ego. The current wrangling over 'global warming' is very much a good example of this.
Then again, maybe that's just me, maybe that's just because I have trust issues with anything anyone tells me.
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Yours was a provacative piece and the main idea ran consistantly throughout the write. Congratulations on your win you deserved it. Happy trails
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Thank you, as I said in previous comment, I always worry in pieces like this that I am not rambling too much.
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Wow!!!
Yes this definitely contains the wow factor! It's just the sort of entry I was looking for and had me enthralled from beginning to end. I like the way you make suggestions but leave the discusion open, that way your ideas can appeal to everyone of varying view points. Clever! Heheheh
As for me I believe in intelligent design through evolution.
Peace Georgia
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Thank you very kindly. Was worried it didn't ramble on a bit, as I tend to do with pieces of this nature.
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