Drunken, pitched back, mouth agape --
the last drop of moonlight falling in,
running with spring’s fermented joys
through his dreams.
Ceres let him sprawl, a spiral of fretting stars,
across the sward as she nodded.
For the gods to dance, be revered,
return to their cloudy residence --
the women would need to make
threaded with fingers aged with ache
dreams reality for men to ride.
Eos released the birds of dawn
their plumage bursting from the ember
risen full of ache from Neptune’s treasure chest.
‘til they dissolved, azuline blue, the eyes of dew’s
last tears a memory, become the aquamarine sky
their feathered breasts a puffy pillowed white.
Apollo, aurulent, lashes steeds to climb
reach the acme of their splendor.
Yet, everyday he comes out of cautious dawn
to end in the day’s wiser dusk
never listening to the sanguine
rivers of experience bless the blood enough.
The contest goes to strength
arms wrapped ‘round reins demanding obedience.
* * * *
Grain reaped, threshed, the family fed.
The moon kisses the nodding heads,
before they are tucked to bed.
The quicksilver dance of life shall be
ever wiser. Space, a volume yet to be read,
the hearth, banked coals, wait
dreams sparked with boldness
shall regain the stars.
1:59 PM
9/07/08
Alexandria, VA
Author notes
The picture comes from NASA files http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000141
In a list
A contest entry
- 99 GRAPHICS OF GOLD ON THE WALL...A Quote & Colour Theme by Blue Rew.
1095 points, ended September 13, 2008, 6 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think, what it makes you feel, how you are moved.
Comments
1 - 14 of 14
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A marvelous mix of mythology, metaphor, mystery, and memories.
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There lies in the spirit a need to feel the breath of a new air, in the extreme, untouched and unknown. We are adventerers, seekers, full of quetions about what is over the mountain, behind the door. To get at its most urgent and raw push, I thought a conversation filled with pagan gods would serve. Thanks for stopping by. It has been a while.
Love,
Tom B.
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The besotted body returned to comfort near dawn...
the gentleness that awaits each god-man released
to his sky wanderings...still willing to give.
Because each much rise again to face a day
demanding sweat for sustenance.
Your interplay of metaphor and personification
amaze. This array of strategic word choice and
sustaining feeling keeps the reader enthralled.
Blue
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THANKS FOR FINDING THIS WORTHY OF SILVER
i do not use Classical allusions often and still feel a bit awkard. I suprised at how clearly you caught the sense of a god-man trying to live up to a larger than life(possible) image. We stress and strain because of the illusions we create when perhaps we are best served to be thankful for the gifts we are given.
Love,
Tom B.
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I loved how you mentioned three of the most famous Roman gods to this day - if a person reads this, knowing the myths behinds these gods its really striking and creates even more imagery than what the average reader can understand.
I love how you used several stories in this one. Genius idea
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I was teasing with ideas and dreams and trying to show how they relate to humans in the end. Or is it the beginning.
Love, Tom B.
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To me, this speaks of the vastness and yet the importance of a hearth, a woman..... and how vast her influence.
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Men are dreamers and romantics, by and large. Woman tend to be a bit more practical. Human beings need to explore, find new ways to discover and expand. Woman provide both the impetus and the security. I often find it amusing for men to claim to be more practical. Even in the current PC correct world, men keep trying to pretend or prove they are more important.
I acknowledge that I despise all the comedies that belittle men and make fathers look like fools. But, I do not have time for things that denigrate human beings on the whole. Might say I am more friendly with Laurel and Hardy then I am with the three Stooges. Trying to teach my son to have respect and understanding for the world he lives in; trying to show him how each persons as a personal dignity that must remain unbesmirched is a tricky path to navigate.
I took the idea of rescuing and saving the validty of the pagan Gods as part of my metaphor in this. The rest grew with the telling.
Love, Tom B.
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Great poem, lots of history & mythology!
Well done poem and super references / allusions! Best of luck in the contest, sir!
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Thank you.
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The final frontier or just the beginning? I see this as someone saying if we give up on what we don't know then we should quit life all together, the universe and life is there to be explored. A different take on it for you but still enjoyed. C
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I started with the drunk, weither he be god or man it is the path of one who has quit. Exploration, discovery are part of who we are, an undeniablly important part of what makes us human. Glad you enjoyed.
Love,
Tom B.
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Grain reaped, threshed, the family fed.
The moon kisses the nodding heads,
before they are tucked to bed.
The quicksilver dance of life shall be
ever wiser. Space, a volume yet to be read,
This last line here is fantastic. I know it's not the last line in the poem, but for me, it is.
I think it sums up so muc of what you are saying, and yet, it still eludes us, space does. Fr as much as we think we know about what's really out there, how do we know we are no more ahead of the learning curve than Hesiod or Homer? This is where I scrtch my head in frustration or infestation...lol.
Honestly, I think explanations handed down for thousands of years are sometimes more believable than the reality.
Best wishes in Blue's contest,
jin
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I acknowledge I was haveing fun with paganism. I wanted to personify our universe, make a few jabs at the animus and anima but most of all I wanted to capture how we are larger when we explore and support our need to explore. I think as we turn in and turn away from space we are giving up and when we start to give up we start to quit. It doesn't wear well.
Love, Tom B.
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