What value has a life
when it stands in the way
of being right? Responsibility
lies not in cause and effect,
but in the path we choose to get
to the goal. For means and end
are the same to the soul.
Still the heart in the smallest one,
say the loss matters little when all
is said and done. One less bird
in the sky is nothing if you can
prove you are better than the other guy.
These nets of reason twined
often seek to define what can
and cannot be done by the Almighty One.
Confused by clever ruse, pride demands
be used -- we think we can command
the course of the greater plan.
It is up to us to choose what standards
we will use: to live to a higher good
or seek to gratify what would be
an immediate need to make ourselves
look good. Live for what improves
us all or spin the truth so it is perceived
to serve only our every want and need.
Then when the tide washes barren shore,
the wind turns a leaf no more and bird songs
are just a memory, tell yourself it is not
your fault -- God should have provided a guarantee.
Made us all automatons so we could not sin
nor do no wrong. We would sing songs of praise
and awe but mean nothing to his glory.
So when you say your prayers
this night before you go to bed
ask why we are gifted with free will.
What does it matter to know wrong
from right, to have to learn to choose
between the dark and light? When you seek
the love you want in your life, does it matter
if it is given out of choice or demand?
Can material things by the droves satisfy
the longing in the soul? Perhaps you remember
when your heart soared at a sparrow’s song,
the smile that lifted your heart when all else
appeared wrong. Spend a moment in giving thanks.
Then, you will know why I wrote this poem.
10:42 PM
10/12/08
Alexandria, VA
Author notes
This is free verse with interior rhymns (sp?). You can critique to your heart content. I learn from every view point even when I am striking off on my own trip and every one says I am crazy. I listen because there is that of God in everyone and I never know through whom he might be speaking. Even when I am not ready to hear. Far to often, our suffering is that of Jonah no matter how much we believe it is Job.
In a list
A contest entry
- Upright Spirit by Mirthryl.
1050 points, ended October 23, 2008, 11 entries
Bronze 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 - 51 of 51
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It is up to us to choose what standards
we will use: I have tried to teach my children right from wrong. To love each other as an individual, living in a multi-cultural word, it doesnt matter what colour, race or sexuality you are. Find the love in all and be happy with what god has given us...well done on the bronze Sir Tomis
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We think fair is only fair when it benefits us. What matters if the rain ends a drought if it is the day I have my outdoor reception.
The ends does not justify the means. To quote an old Quaker, " You cannot fight for peace. You either have it or you don't.
Glad you enjoyed my philosophical meanderings. It was a challenge to write and not be too pedantic.
Love, Tom B.
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I really loved the interior rhyme. This to me is so much different than alot of your work I have read. You are so wonderfully good at it all.
The statement that made my heart pitter patter was:
Perhaps you remember
when your heart soared at a sparrow's song,
the smile that lifted your heart when all else
appeared wrong.
It reminds me to not take those wonderful moments for granted...
Beautiful.
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I can't often philosophize in poetry. Too often they end up reading like an essay instead of a poem. I have seen too often when someone uses their needs to define what is right. This self-centered invention always manages to appall me.
When we are in touch with ourselves, God centered and grounded in seeing the world for the way it is, we can begin to live a creative miraculous life. Life only occurs in the "now." The question for us is: are we going to do the work necessary to allow ourselves to be able to live in this moment when ever we can.
Thanks for the visit.
Love,
Tom B.
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this is very much food for thought, and had hiting too,
one less bird in the sky doesnt matter
if you can prove that your better than the other guy...
we think we command the course of the greater plan...
very powerfull poem!!
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This is a response, I guess, to those who think you can spin anything. Another brilliant piece and funny at the same time is "Thank you for smoking" a movie that doesn't a brilliant job using cigarettes how we will buy the spin when it is easier than facing up to how we have abused ourselves.
Thanks for stopping by. Your selection of poems has made me aware I am much more of a commetator on the human condition than I would believe I am.
Love,
Tom B.
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Fine work here!
If it weren't so late & I so I'd wax on prolific here about this write. What a synopsis of the way of man & the deceitfulness of the heart! I love the flow & content of this, the salient points you give & the fitting way you end this:
So when you say your prayers
this night before you go to bed
[I know why I've been given free will]
Spend a moment in giving thanks.
Then, you will know why I wrote this poem.
Thanks for the reminder!
I spend more time 
ing for others & asking for things than I do in praise & thanksgiving. I try to live my life in praise & thanksgiving, but I need spend more quite time with Him in this mode!
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I started this in response to a prompt for the contest. Found myself looking at what we make okay to do in the name of God and that led to looking at how we conviently reason to have God fit our plans rather then plan our lives to be God Centered.
The other part is an argument about means vs. ends. I see them as being equal. The short version: an old Quaker said, "You can't fight for peace. You either have it or you don't."
Thankfulness? When you become God centered, you find that you are so constantly and frequently gifted. I try to say thank you at least a thousand times a day. I don't know if I have ever succeeded. I do know I am more appreciative. I also find myself more available for God's path, when I know my own sense would limit or lead me astray because reason says it is not possible.
Thanks for the note. I appreciate the time you took.
Love, Tom B.
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Excellent title. Thoughtful contemplations. You present the conflict between "being right," which is often pride-based, and 'doing right', according to one's best understanding of the will of the Almighty.
The concept of 'acceptable losses' may be most often thought of as a political one, yet you bring out that it is a personal one as well. Do we deem nature and people "things" to be exploited or removed and replaced with more lucrative items? It is possible to become an enemy to nature itself in selfish pursuits; "barren shore...leaf[less], bird songs...a memory."
To "prove you are better" may be the beginning of an ever-widening road of rationalizations, leading to an unimagined dead-end.
I agree, "the path we choose to get to the goal" reveals a lot about the soul doing the choosing. Do our choices flow with the eternal, or struggle against it? Is serving God a willing love or grudging compulsion? Is seeking to bless His children and honor the workmanship of His fingers, something undertaken only when fashionable or trendy?
Do we seek His will, or only to persuade Him to our point of view? The idea that men can alter the way He designed the universe "we think we can command the course of the greater plan" seems unreasonable, even if based on the brevity and uncertainty of human life alone.
Would one really prefer residence in a palace, surrounded by compelled servants, or a humble home where a lifetime of loving service and exemplary living create an air of peace and welcome?
Excellent "nets of reason twined". As if God's capacity could be defined by the mind of man.
Nicely conunterpointed immediate gratification and long-term good.
I'm not sure I understand your intent with "means and end are the same to the soul," and "pride demands be used."
Grammatically, I believe it would be "God should have provided a guarantee," and "we could not sin nor do wrong."
Reflective conclusion, "heart soared at a sparrow song, a smile that lifted your heart when all else appeared wrong."
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights.
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Well reasoned poem
"God should of provided a guarantee.
Made us all automatons so we could not sin
or do no wrong. We would sing songs of praise
and awe but mean nothing to his glory." And thereby hangs the point of it all. What satisfaction would the Creator, a social being, have in fellowshiping with a robot? That's why we have been given intellect and a power of choice.
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My thoughts exactly. But if you want a world with no chance of harm, suffering (which I think is a matter of choice), or unhappiness, the only thing left is to become automatons. Too many humans want someone else to take responsiblity for the well being in their own lives. I believe in team work, co-operation, etc. but not carrying someone elses load for them. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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This speaks of pride and mortal belief in dominance of life. A folly that becomes shame in later years when last chance comes to grow wiser, to latch on to lessons set aside. You have that voice that attaches something higher to the language of real life. Never lose it. Blue
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We are wise in reason but often ignorant of experience. We forget that the spiritual is a vibrant component of this life. We get wrapped up in being safe which is generally expressed as being right and looking good. The mind is a desert when it is full of itself. But I run on as always.
Thanks for the support and the compliment. You know I try to live with a sense of grace and often that only makes me more aware of how clumsy and long winded I am.
Love, Tom B.
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A very beautiful and uplifting piece..
I adore the imagery in this write.
You have placed so many elements that I adore right in my path...
Many blessings to you
~A~
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I always want to know what you adore. I am happy that I just managed to capture it right.
Love, Tom B.
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I think its importan we answer our own questions for our selves. And most importan they are answers that we can live with. In some ways it is nice to read others ideas or answers that worked for them, it may open a doorway to what we may be seeking as answers for ourselves too. We were given a mind to use, its good to use it in thought even if we write the thought on paper.
But then again another thought comes to mind,perhaps the best thought of all. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thy own understanding.~Holy Bible~
Thank you for the read; my friend.
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These nets of reason twined
often seek to define what can
and cannot be done by the Almighty One.
Our minds are a wonderful tool. As a tool they do not rule. I suffered for years from a High Anxiety Disorder. I let my mind define reality without taking into account all the information my other senses provided. For if I think it is true, is that not so? No, it is not. Fear -- false expectations appearing real. Balance is important in all of this, but part of the joy and wonder in the blessings of God is the gift of Faith.
Love, Tom B. -
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My friend;
there is two types of fear as two types of everything; even two types of faith. But only one true faith as is one true fear.
But then on second thought what is revealed to one may not be revealed to another, but what is needed for each one in their life.
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"Can material things by the droves satisfy
the longing in the soul?" this question is always lingering int he air. and for some it is never answered right.
we all hear things and most of the time it is never what we really want to hear.
thanks for sharing and keep the pen a-flowing.
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When people become objects and feelings enslaved to stimulation without knowledge, then yes, we think more is better. Except that we are following a false path and a lie instead of truth and in the end find we are unsatisfied if not in crisis -- suicidal. The deeper more eternal path demands living by a standard that gives birth to life and when it is not flowing freely is impending in its flow through the soul.
Love, Tom B.
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This is fulfilling to say the least Tom. I find that it is packed with curiosity... and pleases me to read. I am glad that you shared such a piece... as for asking why we are to get freewill.... well I best leave that unanswered, for I have learned that some things are best left for the mind to ponder
Hopefully you will be adding something to the SIDS contest I started for my sister. You know the treasure of a child,,,, for you have felt the whim of perhaps not having such a blessing. I know your words would soothe and fill as they always do for me
I am so glad I came to read this... I needed a pick-me-up
Mel
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I saw the contest for your sister and I am always humbled and deeply touched by the loss of a child. I know that I would be shattered should something happen to my son. I am even more humbled when those in grief find my simple words and thoughts support and a gift in such times of need. I cannot promise a poem, but if one comes to light I will surely share it.
Glad you enjoyed this. There is a parable at the bottome of comments that I shared with Chez that you should enjoy. It was the source of my inspiration for this piece. Thanks for letting this touch you.
Love,
Tom B.
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This is a good thoughtful piece that really makes us all think. How would the world be if we could all open ourselves up to everyone else and everything around us? What would it be like if we all believed there was a God and it was the same one?
Great poem a real thinker and with somer great ideas
-Jordanne
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It is humorous, but, yet, so sad. We think we can turn everything into a possession or something we can control. The Bible becomes a rule book for the care and feeding of a God, instead of the entry way to a world of awe and rebirth. People are not objects and yet we speak of the ones we love again and again in a fashion that deprives them of their humaness. We hide and quiver from learning the art of feeling. Intimacy becomes such an assualt on our senses that fears awakened we tumble into sex and ritual to avoid the experience.
Center, breathe deeply and experience your experience of being alive without conditions, without filters on what is or is not permissible. God, by any name, lives in the moment. When you are available for the moment you stand shoulder to shoulder with God and miracles spring forth.
Love,
Tom B.
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What a very poignant thought, made me feel that maybe a few minutes of quiet reflection. You are right about our suffering being that of Jonah, brought about by refusal to listen to the truth and do Gods will as oposed to poor job who lost all, initially, despite his deep love of the lord.We would like to blame the lord for all the worlds ills, but as you so eloquently put it , this night before you go to bed ask why we are gifted with free will. Free will is indeed a gift, it is up to us to use it wisely to serve our creator as best we can(There is a philosopher ,though I cant recall his name, who said that a world without free will would be a toy worl, with everything controlled for us) but God wants us to choose our paths and make our choices for ourselves, and if we use the bible as our foundations it is really very simple. I really enjoyed this poem Tom it is beautifully constructed with wise and gentle words as all your work inevitabely is, and with food for thought on a gloomy monday morning, when before I read this I hadn't even bothered to thank God for my many blessings, so .. Thankyou.
Godbless to you Littlefishone (Theresa)
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I will set myself the task to find a thousand things to be thankful for in a given day. I don't think I have ever succeeded. What it does do is take me out of my preconditioned listening. I become more open to the gifts that are about me. When this happens I am listening to the Lord and not my already knowing.
Love,
Tom B.
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As i read this i thought of a few struggles i have had lately in my own heart.
Feeling less than, seeing others soar to great heights while i take the backseat, trying different things to learn to no avail.
(Okay yes confession time)
Confess one to another your own thoughts...
So upon reading twice i see my own selfish heart.
It's my choise...to discourage or encourage..
I want to encourage even if my foolish pride bites me in the butt!
So Thank you for sharing this was wise my mentor.
Love
and
hugs
~Lisa~
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suffering is a choice. Often we are so locked into our version of how the world is, we cannot see that. You have. It is a gift for now you are free to choose how you will be, instead of haveing circumstance and habit propel you willy nilly to places not of your choice.
Love, Tom B.
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There Is A Rhyme To This Poem
I do like the story - it is so true - but we are wanderers on life's journey - I will read it over again - keep on writing my friend - Bless God - Joe - (Dobar Dan) --------------------------------------------- be of good cheer ------------------------------ hagd
. Rewarded 6
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i guess my life has taught me all too well that there are no magic spells that allow you to take control over the world you live in. Far better to spend your time learning to be in command over your own life and to live it in a way that creates a standard for others to follow. Thanks of letting me know this simple piece touched you.
Love, Tom B.
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this tis too much to me... a sparrow landed in my hand when i was a kid. one of my daughters just hung herself... i will try and find your God
hugs,
georgie,
xxx -
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I am not a possesser of any God, but I find when I seek peace and surrender to a Will far greater than my own there is a small still voice that speaks to me and through me in my life. I don't have answers for all the questions I could ask but I have a sense of being that helps me get past the crazy, sad, and painful things that happen in this world we live in. I will hold you in the Light and keep you in my prayers.
Love, Tom B.
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Tomis, you really set my thoughts spinning with this one. I wrote half a book and deleted it, but I think your questions are apropos and I really like your story of the village and the man in Tibet. I think the old man of the mountain saw much more than the man with the bird in hand, for he knew that how we perceive life is a direct result of our thoughts, what we deem to be our power. What the man with bird in hand did not see, is that by placing the restriction of death upon the bird, he also accepted the same restrictions for his own life.
It's intersting that Jesus raised the dead. What did he see? A dead bird, or a live one? And what defined what he saw? Light or darkness, truth or mesmerism?
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I am alway up to read half abook of thoughts by yu. This was one of those pieces that started in the middle and worked its way out. We are always at choice. We can choose to suffer or we can choose to stand centered in the Light and delight in what comes ourway while we live out our stay in this crazy thing called life. Thanks for being such a dear sweet friend.
Love, Tom B.
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You were right, this did not make me sigh. I am sure it will make for alot of deep thinking on my part. I have bookmarked to return and re again.
Love
Juls
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If you read what I said to Chez, you wll find evenmore to tumble through your head. I got off on this rift because of thoughts in my Sunday stint in Quaker Meeting.
Thanks for stopping by.
Love, Tom B. -
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*nods, I read the comments to & from Chez... I always have thoughts tumbling through my head after reading your poetry
Love
Juls
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Well worth reading
"Responsibility lies not in cause and effect, but in the path we choose to get to the goal." Your story down in the comments section further reinforces your position in this poem. Ultimately, how we fare in life depends to a large extent on our own choices. Having spent 30 years working in Asia I've seen incredible poverty and squalor, and I've seen many locked in that situation who chose to be happy in spite of the dice life had dealt them. They were a delight to meet and an inspiration to all.
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I learned a long time ago that suffering is a matter of choice. I understand the old curse "may you lead and interesting life" all to well. I have learned to celebrate and give thanks. Life is a series of obstacle to be over come and life is a rising price are two of my favorite lines. I have never been out of the States, my loss. Thanks for taking time to stop by and share what moved you.
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What does it matter to know wrong
from right, to have to learn to choose
between the dark and light? When you seek
the love you want in your life, does it matter
if it is given out of choice or demand?
Can material things by the droves satisfy
the longing in the soul?
Perhaps you remember
when your heart
SOARED
at a sparrow’s song,
the SMILE that
lifted
your
heart
when all else
appeared wrong.
Spend a moment in giving thanks.
Then, you will know why I wrote this poem.
Amen.
I know who He's speaking to, every single damned one of us.
Bless you Tom, I absolutely loved this.
jin
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Yeap. There is a spiritual side to me. It all started with a verse in the center of this piece.
These nets of reason twined
often seek to define what can
and cannot be done by the Almighty One.
Confused by clever ruse, pride demands
be used -- we think we can command
the course of the greater plan.
Came to me in Meeting, Sunday. Then I got the first line as I was coming home from a poetry open mic Sunday evening. Then it wrote itself.
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Transcendant. A world view that makes sense. Hard at times, yes. But answers. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is distruction."
So many, "Why isn't the world this way-s" are not thoroughly thought through. I like the notion of the way the door is hung. If you push hard, a pull door will never open. Too many times we wear ourselves out pushing on pull problems. -
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We haven't learned to deal with the self enough to put it aside. Gratification of the flesh is a child's game. Gratification of the constructs of the mind adolescence. When we get our head out of brown space we realize that we are not the exception that proves the rule and the last place the world should circle is around us.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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It's funny but I can almost hear you telling me this for my own good and yet knowing I will only hear it when I want to and you will be there to pick up the broken pieces, but this time I am wary and forewarned. C
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There was a villiage once long ago in the mountains of Tibet. There was a young man, who had grown up there and felt that this little villiage had grown to small so he went down the mountains to the cities in China. He studied long and hard and became quite rich. He decided to return to the town of his birth.
When he got there the villiagers were still going to see the wise man and listen to him arbitrate disputes and mediate between partners in marriage. He still was the voice of reason that was followed by the whole town. The villiagers still saw him as wiser and more important than this man who had made good and come back home. So he decided to show the villiagers what a fool the old man was.
He went to the town meeting hall where the old wise man was holding court. He waited for awhile and finally stood and the old man asked what he could do to help. "Old man," he asked, "this bird in my hand, is it dead or alive?"
The old man sat silently. Now the man knew he had him. For if the old man said alive he squeezed his hand in away no one would see and the sparrow in his hand would die. If he said it was dead then he would open his hand and let it fly away. "Old man," he asked loudly now, "this bird, is it dead or alive?"
The villagers stirred. Some commented on the fact the recognized the man, others squirmed in their seats. "Old man," he asked accenting every word like talking to a fool,"the bird, dead or alive?"
The silence was thick. The old man looked hard at the man. "It is up to you, my son. It is up to you."
Love,
Tom B. -
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Nods...I understand
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This has always been since I was about fourteen or so and first read it.
Love, Tom B. -
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I think it's been this way since creation
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Yes, but I read it at fourteen. It is also a part of why you and I get along.
Love, Tom B. -
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smiles
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