“Sleepes the wise Atreus’ tame horse sonne? A counsellour
Of State
Must not the whole night spend in sleep, to whom the
People are
For Guard committed and whose life stands bound to so
Much care.
Homer, Book I, The Iliad.
As yet the day is unsullied.
To stand far off and sing is of course an easy thing,
unstained by blood,
the scars self inflicted:
such runes will not move Satan from his throne--
to untie Wisdom’s knots
and make such pretty bows
about her mantle
as will make the ladies swoon;
to carry Nestor in
and seat him just below the throne
that he might tell lies
to creak & limp
festoon, abbeviate
to leave the lyre untuned
when with a stick
the stilled children are stabbed,
such nourishment is not heard
nor understood,
as with old men recalling wounds
the dream shudders
and dries in the cold gray morning,
how then to sleep? nestled in craters
the sea red? Meet,
says the callous poet,
to bury the dead and move on
building with stone
knowing even so
that it must crumble once again.
In a list
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Lute, your poetry is an absolute inspiration.
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Should have been the inauguration poem instead of the one we got
course, scare the bejesus outta folks, Lute Poem at the Inauguration. Probably we'll look back on this like your Fall of the King poem and go "How he hell did he *know*?"
Nestor -- mmmm. mmm. mmmm. Could be any one of the old supposed statesman couldn't it. Who is it I wonder, Bush? Cheney? Rumsfeld? Oh they'll always be several Nestors won't there be....
The children stabbed -- sigh. Everywhere there is war but of course I think of the recent Gaza events.
This has beautiful moments -- all sort of with a underlying sense of disturbance -- Satan unmoved by the parade and songs.
Something your poems "do" breathe on the page and cause me an uncertainty. I a Lady who has over the past several days "swooned" at thought of real Change. Wisdom playing a part in our politics..
And so, this is relevant my dearest Lute.
As our our new POTUS takes over
it is relevant, I'm sorry to inform you. You, who drags all of History to the Now.
I really like this and don't have a suggestion for change at all.
Good Work.
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At the beginning the oaths are felt at the end are they fulfilled? Only history shows us if the king remains a king or becomes a jester. It's a future that we don't have yet, only the promise.
C
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Very dignified and appropriate for the oaths that were given yesterday.
Wonderful classical allusions.
building with stone
knowing even so
that must crumble once again.
So true but it doesn't keep them from continuing to strive.
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No Oaths ...
can word the twisted tumble of tongue when the language of love is supposedly spoken ...
My prayers with the USA and with the worlds within words of wounds. May President Obama brings his people to the other side of the road, dodging traffic ... and turmoil. United ... we stand.
Even in fall.
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a moment in history with words and vision...
even i, got a little moved by it all being a non-american
i wish godspeed to you and your nation as the repairs begin in ernest
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understanding
is the reason for up and down movement
in seaming kamikaze drops
the dream divine versus the stone foundation
a thick throne that only words won't ever shatter
but living life experience
people don't care and temples don't mind
setting the rules for rules to rule
and what's meant to go is not meant to come
as long as it's gone
no matter how twisted a writing
one certitude remains
a pimp would never commit suicide
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