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Pearls for Pearls

Missing image

'
~'~

What Joy
can be in ignorance
Or Light in Love you feign
As a pearl from an oyster
Beauty comes from Pain!
If you do not Know its Value
Will dissection make it plain?
To forfeit Beauty and  the Treasure
What then is the Gain

Such Divine 'imperfection'
Mindless mollusc can create!
Can all man's intellect
And cunning make
Anything but facile fake?

Do what you Know that you Must do
No matter what you think the 'cost' t'you
And you will Feel the Soul unfurl
That Power there inside its shackled shell
Like an oyster, turn into a Pearl
See as Heaven what you thought as hell!

Aren't you the Farmer of your Oyster
Why hide your Pearl in armour
Is there safety in a cloister?
There is nothing to defend
For who with Love can anyone contend
If you shrink from all you cannot face
How can you Know that you will win
If you never join the Race

Man, this Earthly kingdom his
Granted to control
Does with simple oyster
As One did for the Soul
Gathered in and seeded
Some will never Grow
Others all lopsided
Yet a few will Shine and Glow

And when the Harvest's done
Only Glowing polished Pearls
Are chosen in the Final Call;
Matched in lustre to be strung
In a circlet round the Sun
In Glory for our
All
in
 One

 •

 


 

 

Author notes

Written Sept 18th 1986

(posted December 27th, 2003)

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  • Kari gold member
    March 4, 2007

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    This poem speaks such truth and volume in it. I can't believe you wrote it so long ago...very well done.

    Kari


  • MargaretG
    February 8, 2007

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    Renewing my bookmark

    Your first stanza strikes at the illusions put up by wanna-be enlighteneds, who don't wanna go through the pain of formation. If there were an easy way, wouldn't we all be enlightened? On the other hand, since abundant pain comes our way in the normal course, it is merely efficient to turn it to better work.

    This remains one of my favorites of yours.


  • xxRainbowDawnxx
    January 6, 2007

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    This is so lovely, and indeed like mentioned on the spotlight, very bright. I love your imagery, and your use of words. Been ages since I've heard the word feign used in a poem! I love your imagery and I think you'd make Shakespeare proud.

  • childlike faith
    January 6, 2007

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    good job

    You did a good job on this poem. I loved the background and border as well as the written poem. Thanks for sharing. childlike faith

  • anon053641
    January 6, 2007

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    although i mighn't agree with the entire philosophy in your poem it think it's the best thing i've read on here so far. very well done


    • Maatkara gold member
      January 6, 2007
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      Thank you! If you could explain what 'philosophy' you don't agree with I may be able to clarify what is really meant


  • BlueSunflower
    February 10, 2006
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    I must say this is such a unique and endearing poem! and you are spot on because the beauty of ourselves (pearl) is always being protected in a shell until we decide to let ourselves go.. you said it much better in this poem
    well done!
    HBH


  • grannyeri gold member
    February 9, 2006
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    What a lovely package you have presented here - poem and pearl side bar - lovely! Elegant and classy.


  • MargaretG
    November 1, 2005
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    You once offered me this background, and now I have use for it! This poem remains one of my favorites ever.


  • Maatkara gold member
    March 17, 2005
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    P.S. Yes, interesting synchronicity regarding your comment on the other poem, indeed.

  • Maatkara gold member
    March 17, 2005
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    Ah, but there is greater complexity in that than the immediate association. I said 'chosen', not "called", there is a difference. Also, in the creation of pearls, even the 'unchosen' are recycled for potential growth into another pearl...My metaphors and symbols are carefully chosen, always.

  • Just4u
    March 17, 2005
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    Interesting that I should come across this one. Check out my comment on this poem from the other day, speaking of pearls...

    Eddy

    http://allpoetry.com/poem/1123849


    I'm not sure I can agree with these lines tho.
    "Only Glowing polished Pearls
    Are chosen in the Final Call"

    While this may be true in the making of a necklace
    I don't believe it is true in the making of a man.
    For if only the polished will be called then those who really need to be enlightened never will be. It is not the knowledgeable who need guidance but rather those who have no compass of their own to guide them. So if we deprive those in need then what great power would that be and how compassionate in end.


  • CoolHandLuke
    March 15, 2005
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    Well done...Your poetry has a lot of power. I liked the fact that the rhyming sequence didn't take away from your message. This poem was very enlightening mostly, from my perspective, the metaphorical message became relatable. You dished the reader a heavy load of words and expressions, but the picture you painted didn't diminish...I think you have REAL talent.


  • Sau
    March 9, 2005
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    Gennelle,
    I am glad I was guided to this. Indeed, pain, when deeply felt and understood, opens the window to freedom. Also, in times of conflict, some of us tend to become undecisive. Your message of doing what we 'know' we must do is a simple, straightforward answer.
    Some of the comments here were also interesting and enlightening. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.
    Regards,
    Saurabh.

  • MargaretG
    February 18, 2005
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    A life can be made into a string of pearls.
    What I did yesterday was to reinforce all the positive things I said, in the face of negativity. Today I'm putting the pearly shell on it. Thanks for the transfusion.

  • Maatkara gold member
    December 8, 2004
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    Thank you, Margaret! That means a lot from you. My uncertain meter must be more noticeable to an accomplished iambist - I'm therefore doubly honoured that you can forgive it.

    ~ G

  • MargaretG
    December 8, 2004
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    Dear Gennelle, this is one of my favorites of yours, and since I bookmarked it I have come back once in a while to read it. You have so much wisdom wrapped in this small package, and I'm sure it will take me longer to unwrap it all.
    The line that strikes me this time is "There is nothing to defend". From that I take that we are what we are; and so are all the others, what experience has made us. If there is an attack, what can be said but "so you say"?
    I think your rhythm is great, even without a certain meter.

  • Maatkara gold member
    October 14, 2004
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    Now, now, you can't tell me "the meter was WAY off" without telling me how and where, or by what definition, right?
    If ya say it, ya gotta back it up.

    ~ G


  • onerios13
    October 13, 2004
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    Well, I wish I could agree with Ana on this...BUT...lol. I can't...simply because I thought the meter was WAY off except for a few instances. To be fair, I DID like your message and overall, the presentation did have its moments, but I don't know...this just sat in my gut like too much cookie dough! lol

  • Nicole Hanna
    October 12, 2004
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    You know, I'm not particularly a fan of rhyme but DAMN you OWNED this. I really thought it was very captivating to read. You took a wonderful approach to a typical subject matter and just made it all your own. very nice.

  • surfermike
    September 11, 2004
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    this is a biggy
    smiles . .got all our thoughts greased and whirring
    i do not know much about religin etc . . but i feel that if there is a purpose to us then we keep cycling until we achieve that moment!? so eventually we all become the glowing pearl


  • duana
    August 8, 2004
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    Do what you Know that you Must do
    No matter what you think the 'cost' t'you
    And you will Feel the Soul unfurl
    That Power there inside its shackled shell
    Like an oyster, turn into a Pearl
    See as Heaven what you thought as hell!

    That is my favorite part of your poem. It is amazingly said, and gives one a boldness to act despite any percieved cost, because it is the wise thing to do. If opportunity ever comes my way again to do this, I will not let it pass me by!

  • Maatkara gold member
    June 2, 2004
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    Sphinx, we really have no disagreement, only a confusion of semantics by inference. Any position that dismisses any part of human being-ness as less worthy than another is out of balance with the truth. Everything is interconnected and inter-dependent. The ideal and the goal is to achieve that wholeness and balance. The ego must be understood in its proper context and controlled with Heart and Reason. Balance in all things.

    Also, I was referring to 'talent' as the 'gift' some are born with (actually the result of past-life learning and the proper use of it). I used idiot savant as an extreme example of apparently inexplicable abilities (by normal references). Not to denigrate anyone's dedication to learning new skills. I am self-taught and self-educated...free from institutionalized biases and dogma. The Mind is the 'builder'...nothing is created without it. Reality is reality, indeed...there is also REALITY.


  • Sphinx
    June 2, 2004
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    Hmm - we have an irreconcilable disagreement here because a.) I regard egoism as a virtue, not a vice - the person without an ego is a suicide, b.) I'm not a mystic so I believe that yes, intellect is our only means of grasping anything that we...grasp, including the concept of 'the unseen' - therefore it is in fact "the be-all and end-all of human creativity", and c.) claiming that the idiot savant is the ultimate expression of the human intellect, is a profoundly contemptuous insult to every creator who has ever lived.

    As for learning vs. "nurturing, honing and refining," an example would be my teaching myself guitar from scratch over the course of a couple of decades, and as a result getting fairly good at it (so I'm told.) To an extent we can be born with a natural talent for a particular skill (I never had one for guitar, BTW,) but there's no real dichotomy between nurturing, honing, refining on the one hand and learning on the other - they're all one and the same. There are countless examples of people relatively untalented at something who nevertheless learn and become masters at it through dogged determination. But the role of the mind is central to the process, not some kind of shameful necessity.

    If that sounds arrogant, so be it - as Mr. Aristotle would say, A is A - reality is reality. This is a disagreement on philosophical fundamentals - and in the grand, ages-old conflict between the opposite philosophies of Aristotle and Plato, I'm solidly, proudly, arrogantly Aristotelean. So is reality itself.
    'Pardon for running l o n g . . . .
    Edited on Jun 04, 12:49 because 'of spaced-out text tags.'.

  • Maatkara gold member
    June 1, 2004
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    Thank you, Sphinx! I didn't "slam" human intellect, only the tendency to egoistic arrogance in believing it is the be-all and end-all of human creativity. So-called idiot savants are an extreme example. Too many can rationalize away the 'unseen' sources behind great art and true genius. Your examples prove my point...talent is not, and cannot be, 'learned'; it can only be nurtured, honed and refined.
    ~ Ma'atkara
    Edited on Jun 01, 10:56 p.m. because 'typo'.

  • Sphinx
    June 1, 2004
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    Congrats on your silver win, Maatkara! (I was out of action for the weekend so this is of course late.) Though I disagree strenuously with your slam on human intellect, there's a good message here about developing your own unique creativity and polishing it to perfection over time.

    Human 'pearls' are everywhere - listen to Helene Grimaud playing Rachmaninoff's piano Etudes or Patricia Kaas' voice singing "Les Lignes De Nos Mains"; look at Frederick Clifford Gibson's architecture [ www.gibson-design.com ] or even the unintentional beauty of a freeway overpass' graceful curve - it's everywhere! 8^)

  • Maatkara gold member
    May 30, 2004
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    Right back atcha, Congrats on your GOLD, Angelica! I just congratulated you on yours, before I saw your message here. Well deserved win, dear heart!
    ~ Gennelle


  • angelica silver member
    May 30, 2004
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    CONGRATS ON YOUR SILVER


  • angelica silver member
    May 21, 2004
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    Lovely words of wisdom, I truly enjoyed reading ităngelica

  • laureate
    May 18, 2004
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    Really good, you play around with metaphors and emphasis, so well. Oh and BTW, good look in the contest


  • neuentag
    May 17, 2004
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    this is really well written. i love the metaphor. great write!


  • SEA angel gold member
    May 17, 2004
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    EXCELLENT wisdom

    I think this poem is VERY well done. I especially like the thrid and fourth stanza. Yes, this is EXCELLENT wisdom. I love the metaphor and your imagery is vivid and powerful.


  • MargaretG
    May 17, 2004
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    Wise

    You know how much I love this poem! It is elegant and wise.
    Thank you for entering our contest.


  • qnhoneybee
    May 7, 2004
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    This was a beautiful poem to be nominated. You are correct and we are the farmers of our own oysters and with much work and dedication to ourselves we can make ourselves shine for the World that awaits us in the end!

    Thank-you for entering the contest and thanks to Peaseeker for nominating you!

  • Maatkara gold member
    May 6, 2004
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    No problem, Tweety, I understand how hurts hypersensitize our hearts...nothing to apologize for, we must express it or it gets too big for us.
    Love,
    ~G


  • YerTweetyness
    May 6, 2004
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    My apologies Maatkara. Now I can read and judge your poem fairly without all the negativity.


  • YerTweetyness
    May 6, 2004
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    Thank you to both Maatkara & Peaseeker for this entry

  • Maatkara gold member
    April 16, 2004
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    Thank you, Peaseeker! That is high praise from such an eloquent rhymer as yourself 8) The critical words were capitalized to distinguish a difference between 'know & Know', 'must & Must', feel & Feel' etc. That's the determining factor in the choices made; those who go the wrong way choose 'lower case' (the ego) over their true self (the Soul). The key to most of my writings is in the details That's why I can be such a pedantic pain when I critique lol!!
    I was hoping you might find something to improve..
    ~ Love & Light
    ~ Maatkara

  • MargaretG
    April 16, 2004
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    Wonderful

    I think you are too modest. This is a great poem, with a well-developed conceit of the oyster and pearls. The sound of the poem is calm and graceful, and the rhymes are harmonious.
    I agree that we need the difficulties of life to become more than we were; however, I have also seen people go the other way. Using questions involves the reader and shows that there is a choice to make. Pearls of wisdom.


  • BillS2
    January 7, 2004
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    Excellent

    Hi Ma'at-ka-ra:
    This is a very deep poem with different meanings to each person. I liken this to not hiding your light under a bushel. Very well expressed and written in such a way to give the reader some leaway in how they interperet the meaning. Thanks for such a thoughtful and thought provoking write. Keep up the great work. Bill


  • Maatkara gold member
    December 28, 2003
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    Thank you Leanne! Appreciate your comments very much.
    ~ Maatkara


  • leannewales
    December 28, 2003
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    your poetry is very impressive...you have a great talent..i particularly like this one...for it's imagery...flow...and content...great work!!...hugs...leanne xxx

  • Maatkara gold member
    December 28, 2003
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    Muse ~ I agree with you. If I can convey the imagery as effectively I do prefer to keep it succinct. However, when you have a multi-layered insight to express, it takes the form necessary to illustrate it. The archetypal symbolism of the pearl has many levels; traditionally in myths and parables, as well as in the Eleusinian mysteries. This poem came from my inner muse; something I don't question, if I want further insights to occur.
    ~ Maatkara

  • Muse silver member
    December 28, 2003
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    I like your shorter poems better,Maatkara.
    I think you express yourself better in the shorter poems.

    Muse


  • Maatkara gold member
    December 27, 2003
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    Wow, Bill ~ What a wonderful accolade! Thank you for your insight, kind sir.
    ~ Maatkara

  • BillS2
    December 27, 2003
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    Excellent

    Hi Maatkara:
    A very dramatic and thoughtful poem. The subject played with the touch of a master. Thank you for your insight. Bill

  • Maatkara gold member
    December 27, 2003
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    fallen-angels ~ Thank you for your comments. I'm not sure how you got any impression of to "do good in the hope of rewards", from this poem. Doing what you know you Must despite all obstacles, fear, pain, opposition etc. is hardly doing it FOR 'reward'. Those whose motive is to gain reward, as Christ said, "have received their reward".
    ~ Maatkara


  • Maatkara gold member
    December 27, 2003
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    GypsyDreamer ~ Thank you for your thoughtful comments, and warm welcome. Much appreciated
    ~Maatkara

  • GypsyDreamer
    December 27, 2003
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    Maatkara, this is a beautifully written poem. Its words inspire with deeper meanings and the whole comparison to a pearl is just beautiful. Great job, and welcome to AP. I hope to read more from you in the future.
    Gypsy

  • fallen-angels
    December 27, 2003
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    Hmm, but if we do good in hope of rewards are we really doing good? Or just further looking out for ourselves. An excellent poem. Very well written, and with many and varied word choices which brought it a powerful life. Very well done.

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