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Wisdom’s Daughter

She fell out of step with the gait of constriction,

unused to the cadence of slow-witted pedants.
The status quo drill on its rote too dependent
was never a pace for a woman of reason.

Considered ungraceful for striding too freely
with rhythms of reason already rejected,
for stubborn resistance to callous direction,
the tyrants of academe moved to expel her.

Her liberal learning was deemed an infection
that might be contagious and censure-resistant.
There isn’t a cure for the virus of reason,
and scared academics move swiftly to quell it.

Her beauty and grace of intelligent reason
were objects of envy for tenured elitists.
She learned how to walk as a daughter of wisdom
and raced with the freedom of learning unfettered.

Author notes

"liberal" in line 9 is used in its classical sense of generosity of spirit and philosophical broad-mindedness. 'Liberal' in this sense should not be confused with the "liberal" label applied to political or religious points of view. 'Liberal' in those instances refers to narrow-minded socialistic paternalism and prejudiced skepticism regarding the wisdom or effectiveness of faith. These are antithetical to classical liberalism but much in vogue in academia.

In a list

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 13 of 13

  • TinyGrasshopper gold member
    November 30
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    Very cool.

    The wittiest poem I've read in a long time... Which I guess blends with the theme of it... Hopefully you won't be met with the same opposition as the protagonist in your piece... Bravo sir... A most enjoyable read. Thank you.


  • Ellis gold member
    November 26
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    I believe the most rigid and narrow-minded academicians are astronomers (regarding their Universe Model).


  • tessfully
    August 1

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    I do relate! How very creative and innovative for the subject!! Great job on an extremely complex topic with HUGE import to the historical present.

  • Macsword
    July 31

    Edit | Reply

    Your AN...

    Brought me a different perspective than at first so I had to re-read this. I'll just say, okay. But I still have my first impression. Of course what stands for academia today, seems to be standing without any reason at all.

    Good write poet. Thank you for your entry. Please do not respond to this comment until you see the judging closed.


    • Peripatetic gold member
      August 1
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      I expanded my original AN after reading your comment. Generally speaking, a poem should be able to stand on its own without further comment from its author. Because 'liberal' is used so ambiguously in our times, it seemed important to infuse it with a little precision for its meaning in the context where I used it. My intent with the poem is to applaud some courageous folks and to rub some folks the wrong way. It would be a shame if either group mistook my meaning.


  • amaranthine lover gold member
    May 29

    Edit | Reply

    20.1/25

    I really can't say anything helpful. Your writing is always amazing, hands down.


  • Darkwell
    April 27

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    yah, how many times do people get persecuted for thinking freely. this is a stunning piece about persecution but im glad in the end she didn't let that stop her from staying with her way of thinking you didn't do the perfect end rhymes like you usually do and i hardly even noticed that i think because you used words that had similar sounds like pedants - dependant and resistant - reason. you used the word reason as a end word three times and its in the poem 4 times you're getting bolder


    • Peripatetic gold member
      April 27
      Edit | Reply
      Ding ding ding ding! You are the first person to notice "reason" used as a refrain in this piece!

      Reason is the daughter of Wisdom. Reason cannot exist without Wisdom, and Wisdom is barren if it does not result in Reason.


  • Exit-Stage-Right
    April 20

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    The strict meter and occasional perfect rhyme plus dash of alliteration seem to make the poem rhyme much more than the actual end-line phonemes do themselves , if that's possible! It's either that or it's really time for me to go to bed?!


    • Peripatetic gold member
      April 20
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      If in one's mind there is a question about whether it is bed time or not, it is!

      I enjoy rhyming well done, but lately I find myself attracted to and experimenting with foot & meter in poetic expression. Allan Emery and Marie Marshall here are both poets of amazingly fine rhyme, but each with comments, columns and journals has piqued my interest in meter with or without rhyme.


  • Wandika gold member
    April 7
    Edit | Reply

    Interesting

    I like seeing a 12 count poem that reads this well. Your talent is so varied and you so prolific.


    • Peripatetic gold member
      April 7
      Edit | Reply
      Jeff Green mentioned that too many feet in a long line make it a little unwieldy. I tried to get a better grip on these lines by using 3-syllable amphibrach feet instead of the more common 2-syllable iambs or trochees. 12 syllables have only 4 stresses then, which helps us move on down the line.
      I've heard that 3-syllable feet also lend a "cantering" gait to the rhythm of a line. That seems appropriate for this poem about breaking free of the lock step of academia in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

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