“Nature is more advanced than people.
Every snail has a home.”
– Lu Wong
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Where the heart feeds,
when the time of home coming calls,
brings to rest the fires
where, wonder of wonders, no one is burned.
Nature is not man, yet man is nature.
Civilization only a graffiti washed away
as each millennium tries to be technically adept
at separating man from instinct.
Herald the family, before it descends to feud
fatwa carved on the rump of history.
Too readily we create anathemas
to be corrupted by love.
In this cacophony, we divine as history,
where all our shame is glorified by war.
We cherish family as we lay babes before frost
bind feet for beauty, assault nations as godless.
The child has parents, whose homes are bombed
for this years higher good.
Even the snail is crushed by hooves
as horses gallop in glory upon the range.
Until the last “I love you”
is whispered in the face of a star’s death
we can only strive to learn
being who we are
being able to be with each other
seeking to find the home where the heart is
sated.
3:03 PM /11-05-09 / Alexandria, VA
Author notes
Darwin is misunderstood. The survival of the fittest is not the strongest individual, but the group that can cooperate the best in maximizing each members survival.
A contest entry
- How Profound... One quote endless possibilities! by Concrete Angel.
700 points, ended November 9, 15 entries
Honorable mention
• 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 - 25 of 25
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wonderful thoughts here, the last three stanzas are really strong, I like it all, actually. Thanks for featuring
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Thanks
I am deeply complimented.
Peace,
Tom B.
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The more I read, the more I enjoyed
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Thanks for the blessings
I could ask for nothing more.
Peace,
Tom B.
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Having studied some of Darwin in Evolutionary Psychology, I can thank you for bringing some beautiful words and great poetry out of it to make my studies a bit easier.
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Thank you I am honored
I have been looking a lot at how we never escape our history but we are not the sum of our history. I also read an article on how empathy and altruism are survival traits for the tribe and the tribe increases everyone's survival possibility. "And the meek shall inherit the earth."
Syncronicity, happenstance, epiphany -- call it what you will. I like to weave threads and follow tangents to their bitter ends. I am also going to have my Psy.D. someday not to far away. My professors love me, once they assure themselves I am not a total head case. 
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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Some really beautiful imagery here each stanza is like a little photograph Very good use of vocabulary too and the form is set out with confidence.
Well Done and Congrats! -
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Thank You Much
I try to use stanza and verse to create coherence. Hopefully what I am trying to say comes out of the interaction between images. Thanks for taking time to review and parse my efforts
Peace,
Tom B.
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I love the language of this piece. "Civilization only a graffiti washed away".
You elaborate on Darwin and his theories. I agree with you that "group cooporation" is more important than individual strength, especially in human societies.
Great write, thanks for sharing.
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I like to explore big ideas and how they play into our lives. I work with people and always fascinated with how we are both generators of creativity and yet still held in the bonds of our genetic makeup. Thank you for the review.
Peace,
Tom B.
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The language here fascinates me, and this one jumped at me: "Civilization only a graffiti washed away...." We are certainly a conterfeit in this world of what is intended for us in the spiriual unfolding of life, the choices we make in the eye of the storm, not realizing the false sense of security in appearances. I wait for the "I love you" that comes from the place where the heart is sated, and hope for the beauty to manifest in the nourishment, because it is a gift of soul inherent in each of us.
I have never come to an acceptance of Darwins theories as infallible, and it's been pointed out to me that I do not understand rightly. I just think there is much more to consider in the light of life than anihilating those less strong.
When a star dies, the light goes out. I want to believe there is an infnite light beyond the ken of our physical perceptions that will awaken us to the boundless possibilities of our being.
Your thoughts touch me deeply.
Karen
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Survival of the fittest is a short hand for adaptation to the needs of the environment. But, the needs are not just for bullies able to run rough shod over others. A single unit is only as strong as the tribe or team they come from. So, there becomes a need for empathy and altruism to be built into the species other wise all efforts collapse into nothing. I have been reading articles about this and I hope my little summary makes some sense.
When I worked with families in crisis, social skills were the first thing to disappear and the last to return. Often the most necessary to their well being, the reduction to fight or flight only served to deepen the wounds. But good manners, rational discourse suffer in the face of fear and distrust.
The rest of this poem is a spiritual reflection. For understanding a small part of how the world works does not answer how much we reach for spiritual creator.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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i like the second verse here on quick reading, i am a little drunk so please forgive me my initial madness here, i am in a world of my own right now but enjoy sharing
i will come back when i am sober and give your work a real smile or frown
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Solid piece
and
Until the last “I love you”
is whispered in the face of a star’s death
just a cool way to label eternity. Highly neat poet.
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Thanks
I wanted to personalize it and that seemed to do the trick.
Peace,
Tom B.
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I really liked where you went with the prompt. Your words are so true and eloquently stated that when I saw the line length I thought "Oh no it's over the 20 line limit" BUT... most of the lengths isn't the poem itself, but the quote and the stanza breaks... I counted only 27 lines for the poem itself so I can let that slide
Thanks for entering and good luck as I judge the contest
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Thank you I am honored
It is a great leap of faith and a certain kind of wisdom to be able to hold the art above the box created for it. I truly tried to hold to 20 lines. I could of written another poem. I would of had to. This one needed the extra seven. I am honored and moved (for lack of better words) by your understanding and appreciation. There is a certain trust one has to take in the work, letting it have its life and accepting that artist is not always the creator. As I often say, this is a poem that wrote me as much as I wrote it.
Peace & Light,
Tom B. -
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Well... when you get the groove goin, you get the groove goin
Plus you can't exclude something this good for just being a few short lines over the limit... Plus, I understand being written by the poem
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appreciate the honorable mention, Thank you
Peace,
Tom B.
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This is a great response to the given prompt, Tom, one worthy of further contemplation. Good luck in the contest, Sweetie. 
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Thanks for stopping by
Much of my measure is grasped by the support provided by friends.
Love,
Tom B.
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Right On...
The 2nd stanza stood out for me...dig the imagery & the separating man from instinct packs a powerful wollop! & as for your author's notes...Darwin should be misunderstood since the only factual part of evolution are variances within species...such as mix breeding...nothing else has ever been proven & the reason for that is that Darwin misunderstood a great many things about the natural order...food for thought. Anyway, great poem there, keep it up, I hope to read more. ps...double read for type-o's...i caught at least a "to" that should've been a "too".
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Thanks for catching the typo
I need an editor just like anyone else. Darwin saw how life responds to stress and accounts for it. Empathy is a far greater necessity for survival than violence. It is not enough for one to succeed, the whole biome must survive for it supports and provides for the well being of each member. It is a wonder of diversity, that many paths make for greater possibility of success than one self-righteous assurity.
Peace,
Tom B.
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You are an educated and talented man
Profound words painted across your canvas.
We only live once, we should throw as much paint at it as we can.
You have thrown more paint than most, BRAVO to you.
Nicely done my friend. I wish I knew as much as you.
You are awesome again and again. I wish I could go home what I remember as security and warm hugs and approval.
Home is where the heart is always and forever.
Please know how brilliant you are.
Peace and love to you always....
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Thank you I am honored
I can do no more than reflect upon what I have experienced. Thanks for finding so much in my simple words.
Peace,
Tom B.
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