Well, a Commenter in the Previous Post Started Writing Poetry and this is what was Inspired within me because of it. It came Out sort of Negative, yet the Main Point is how we Need to Listen to Each Other with the Heart.
Listening with the Heart
I cast my Words onto the Sand,
So they are Heard though out the Land,
Yet Stubborn Hearts will sure Demand,
That their Loud Voice is all that Stands.
I cast my Words into the Sea,
In Desperation now I Plea,
As we now Talk while Drinking Tea,
Yet no one knows the Answer.
How can we Walk now Side by Side?
Yet Stubborn Hearts will sure Demand,
That their Loud Voice is all that Stands.
I cast my Words into the Sea,
In Desperation now I Plea,
As we now Talk while Drinking Tea,
Yet no one knows the Answer.
How can we Walk now Side by Side?
Our Hurts we Learn, somehow to Hide,
Neath Tough Skinned Shields, we Shy Away,
Cause No One's Safe, Least not Today.
Long I Look for Tender Ears,
A Gentle One won't Judge my Tears.
Again I Risk to do my Part,
Neath Tough Skinned Shields, we Shy Away,
Cause No One's Safe, Least not Today.
Long I Look for Tender Ears,
A Gentle One won't Judge my Tears.
Again I Risk to do my Part,
In Hope he'll Listen with the Heart.
22 comments:
Very good!
With the caveat that my college poetry professor judged me hopeless, I think that poetry and allegory can align and centralize an idea. Your allegories which struck me include 'talk while drinking tea' :) and
'tough skinned shields'.
And so inspired, I went off to visit my favorite
poet Alexander Pope, whose
advice seems ageless:
"A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Fir'd at first Sight with what the Muse imparts,
In fearless Youth we tempt the Heights of Arts,
While from the bounded Level of our Mind,
Short Views we take, nor see the lengths behind,"
-An Essay On Criticism
The Reason why Poems are like Allegories, BB, is because they are made up of Short Phrases that there is no Space to Explain.
"Tea" Rhymes with Sea and Plea. When I First Wrote this, there was Really no Intended Meaning there other than Drinking Tea is what Friends do. I guess it could be Said that Vodka or Beer Implies more Mischief, while Tea is more Platonic, yet the Fact that the Imagery does Fit with what I'm Trying to say might Actually have a Subconscious Component that Contributed to it, for even though I'm the Author, I did not Realize this Imagery until now.
"Tough Skinned Shields" does have Meaning, though, and the Implication that Skin that is Excessively Tough Results in Protective Barriers between People was Deliberate and this is the Reason for the Hurt described in the Same Paragraph.
It must not Be Over Looked, however, that the Initial Cause for the Tough Skin is in the First Paragraph...
"Yet Stubborn Hearts will sure Demand,
That their Loud Voice is all that Stands."
Some Allegory is either Accidental or Subconscious, such as the Fact that Sea is Deeper than Sand and thus, as the Emotions Deepen, so does the Imagery. That One really wasn't Consciously Deliberate either. I just Noticed it now, so Again, there might of been a Subconscious Element that Caused me to Write it that way.
Poems are sort of Like Dreams, BB. Even the Author may not Know Fully what the Subconscious is Trying to say, until the Person Thinks about it later.
My Initial Comment to you had two Additional Paragraphs, yet I don't want to give all of the Imagery away, so I Think I'll Quit here.
""Tea" Rhymes with Sea and Plea. When I First Wrote this, there was Really no Intended Meaning there other than Drinking Tea is what Friends do." Well, now, I immediately associated that with 'Tea Party', the movement.
Small wonder the poetry
prof considered me a hopeless case. :)
Shell I Analyze Alexander's Poem Now?
Do to my Initial Misunderstanding of Certain Terms, I saw the Phrase "Drink deep, or taste not" as a Black and White Statement and thought that it was Interesting that he Says "Shallow Draughts Intoxicate".
So my Initial Interpretation was Temptation caused by a "Shallow Draught", and such Temptation is not Satisfied, "Sobers us Again", until we get our Fill of what we are Tempted by, "Drinking Largely", yet when I Looked up the "Pierian Spring", I realized that it has to Do not with Temptation but with Artistic or Poetic Inspiration, so that is something that it is Good to Drink Deeply of.
The Actual Theme of the Poem is that Knowing Only a Little can be Dangerous, so if we Decide to Study something, we should do it thoroughly, or not at all. Interestingly, the Poem is about One of the Few Things in which the Answer is sort of Black and White, for our Commitment to Learning should not only be Partial, but Total and Our Commitment to God is the Same way, just as the Bible says...
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment." (Mark 12:30, KJV)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Colossians 3:23, NIV)
Commitment Needs to be Complete, not Partial. This Applies to Learning and Knowledge and also to Our Commitment to God, cause as Christians we see our Muse (Source of Inspiration) as being God.
So the Poem is about Drinking Fully and Completely from God.
It is Interesting too, that as I Interpreted the Poem without Fully Applying myself as the Poem Suggests I should, by Looking up a Few Phrases and Words, I Interpreted it Incorrectly, just as the Poem also Suggests "Fir'd at first Sight.......While from the bounded Level of our Mind, Short Views we take, nor see the lengths behind."
Well, I should be done, yet after Posting the above Comment, I saw something else, for the Very Last Line says "An Essay On Criticism", which Puts the Poem into the Context of not Only Knowledge, but the Knowledge of People and this is why the Bible also says that...
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." (James 1:19, KJV)
The Reason for this is because if we Speak too soon, we will do so from a Place of Limited Knowledge and will thus, Judge and Criticize. It is Better to First Listen, so that we can then Speak with a Greater Level of Understanding.
In Response to the Second of your Comments, this Poem isn't meant to have any Political Meanings. It is Mostly about Friendship, yet even in Politics, we can Drive People Under their "Tough Skinned Shields", by Demanding that Our "Loud Voices are all that Stand", so even if the Theme is Friendship, and not Politics, everything is Connected and Politicians that Apply the same Principles that Work in Friendship are the Ones that are Better Liked.
True the bible, in particular the Old Testament, is a tome of
allegory and poetry. It is thought by some scholars
that such methods enabled
the committment to memory
of culture and the tales of a people. As language developed, these tales were put on paper (or stone tablets-for the semetic peoples were not
all Hebrew). And so, we
find sometimes startling
similarities between ancient Hebrew thought
and that of their contemporaries. The uniqueness of the Hebrew
concept was 'one God', not
some stone idol.
(my goodness, why did I ever suggest ryhming? :))
You would Like the Book "Eternity in their Hearts". I hope it's Still in Print. I Forget the Author. It is about the Very Thing that you are Talking about, yet shows how there are Traces of Christian Thought in the Old Traditions of most Cultures. You might have to Go to a Christian Book Store in Order to Get it.
The Most Interesting Stories were the Ones of Ancient Tribes that had Traditions of a Missing Book, yet when Missionaries Showed up with the Bible, Entire Tribes were Converted Instantly.
I'd Love to Tell you some of the Stories in this Book Sometime.
I tried writing poetry years ago and let's just say it's not my forte.
Having read Z-man, I would say his forte is allegory..using everyday
occurances as examples of larger issues, digging through complexities for
simpler explanations.
Apologies for the prose,
but nothing ryhmes with forte...
I'll be Back Sometime Later with Additional Explanations of the Meanings behind my Poem. That is unless Someone Cares to Take a Guess in the Mean Time and Tell me what they see.
I got in a huge fight with my AP English teacher because I insisted that to attempt to divine the meaning of someone else's poetry is essentially a futile activity as the only person who can actually tell you what it means is the person who wrote it.
She ended the conversation by saying I was wasting both my time and hers by being in her class.
I bided my time until we took the AP exam. I wrote an essay on Crime And Punishment (that I only read the first 24 pages of) for it. As it turned out I was the only person in the entire school (and two surrounding counties) to get a perfect score on the exam.
I delivered my result to her in her classroom when she and I were alone and gave her a heartfelt F YOU to go with it. Only time I've ever cussed at a teacher. She deserved it like no one else. I got that grade purely on my own.
Point is, poetry can mean whatever you like it to mean, but it might not be what the writer's meaning was when it was written. You can't prove it, and you can't know it, unless you find something else the person's written in explanation.
What you are saying, Satyavati, makes sense, except for the fact that sometimes Poems can be Spiritual.
It's just like when the Pastor gives a Sermon and then someone comes up to him and tells him what he got out of the Sermon. Yet the Pastor is Perplexed and insists that that is not at all what he had Intended to say and yet the Lord quite Often Reveals certain things to people during a Message that are Entirely Different than the Deliverer of the Message was Thinking about when he Wrote the Sermon. The Truth is, though, that every Person Present may have Gotten something a little Different out of the Presented Message.
Abstract Art is like this Too. And it doesn't Matter if it is Different than the Speaker, Author or Painter Intended. If the Picture or Words Speak Something to you, then that is Beautiful. If not, then that's Ok too.
'sometimes Poems can be Spiritual.' ..or not.
I trace my words into the sand
words at one time that were banned
earth circle sun, by math explain
recant or die in burning pain
the heavens revealed, my telescope
disagreed with priest and Pope
The sun doth circle earth, they said
your sorry science we shall shred
For we the Church Triumphant stand
Inquisitors with burning brand
Do not use your curious mind
For we insist that you stay blind
Only we proclaim the truth
less we fear the curious sleuth
our pious knowledge we proclaim
enforced by dungeon and the flame
Recant your words and follow us
or face the Stake that burnt Jan Hus
for we despise your faith in science
our faith in faith is our reliance
three hundred sixty years have past
my words in sand now concrete cast
earth has circled all along
for I was right and they were wrong
- for Galileo
She Smiles.
Ok. We're back to the Religion Vs. Science Issue again that I really thought we had at one Time Settled. All I want to say now is that the Church is not as Opposed to Science as they Used to be. The Intelligent Design Idea is Supported by Scientists. I wasn't Planning on getting back into that Subject. I Left a link to it in the Comment Section a couple of Posts Down, but here it is again.
Equations we Live By/Gen/Evolution v. Intelligent Design
You know, I really liked
'I cast my words into the sand' in your original poem. So, I just started, using 'words' and 'sand'
...with no intention of going anywhere. From there, it just seemed to flow. No thought of ID
or evolution, just that
words in sand seem like
the 'sands of time' and
the tale that developed was an old affair which
I guess started the arguments between religion and science. They are quite different entities and hopefully the message
is 'accomodation pre-empts
persecution'..both ways.
As you note in your title
'yet the Main Point is how we Need to Listen to Each Other with the Heart.'
When you Cast your Words Upon the Sand, they Often can Get Blown Away with the Wind. Cast them on the Sea and they get Washed away with the Tide. The Best Thing to do is to Cast your Words Upon the Rock and the Rock is Jesus Christ. He is Solid and will Make those Words Fruitful in one way or another.
Hey! You Mentioned the Theme of my Poem. That Moves me. Thank You.
Religion and Science are not as Different as they seem. Consider Galileo, for Example, and the Sun being the Center of the Universe. To Insist that the Earth (that's us) is the Center of the Universe is Really not that Religious, for it is Self-Centered, yet if the Sun is the Center of the Universe, then that puts us in a Place of Less Significance and something much more Powerful than us (The Son) is the Center of the Universe.
The Reality, therefore, is more God Centered and the Old Faulty Science is more Man Centered. In my Opinion, the Insistence that the Earth is the Center of the Universe has more to do with Self-Centered Pride than with True Religion and the Actual Truth Presented by the Science is more Religious than the Resistance.
Right now, it is the Scientists that are Resisting the New Reality that Evolution, even over an Extended Period of Time, still can not be Proved.
"Right now, it is the Scientists that are Resisting the New Reality that Evolution, even over an Extended Period of Time, still can not be Proved."
Yikes!! Where is my 'tough
skinned shield'? :)
OK, so all day the music
from the song 'Halleluja'
has been running though my head. It is your fault, you know. Consider-
"It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled King composing Hallelujah _
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah"
The triple meter poetic style. Now then...
"Long I Look for Tender Ears,
A Gentle One won't Judge my Tears.
Again I Risk to do my Part,
In Hope he'll Listen with the Heart.
Halleluja!!
Now I know why the song was in my head-its your fault. Say, was that concious or subconcious, that triple meter thing? :)
It's Ok BB,
You can come out from behind your "Tough Skinned Shield". I Promise not to Bite you. :)
"Say, was that concious or subconcious, that triple meter thing?"
Well, let's see. Climbing to the Fourth and then the Fifth Step of the Latter and then you Fall. Life can be Discouraging that way, but Fortunately the Fall was Minor, but the Lift was Major. Music Goes Up and Down, Just like Life. Just Like me, you Desire someone to Lift you Up when you Fall.
If you are Singing Hallelujah, are you Subconsciously Calling out to God? The Triple Meter is the Trinity, you Know. Three Notes in a Cord. Three Separate Notes and yet One United Sound.
The Subconscious is Spiritual and IMO you are far more Spiritual than you Realize.
Shhhhhhhh! Be at Peace. Allow the Angels to Lift you Up. The Fall is Minor, but the Lift is Major. Go Ahead and have a Spiritual Moment, BB. God will Meet you if you Let Him.
Trinity? I was thinking more along
the lines of the Morse Code (with
the metre foot in caps)-
I cast my words
onto the sand
dash dot dot DOT
dash dot dot DOT
(which is Morse for the letter 'C') in rising meter ..so another musical triple would be
Beethhoven's 5th Syphony:
dot dot dot DASH
(which is Morse for the letter V) in falling meter. In Beethoven's case we see the classic
Iambic..
'The curfew tolls'
dot dot dot DASH
It is said the meter is as old as Beowulf times and is still found in rap music. Since we have determined your poem to be subconcious 'C', I will assume that if put to music, it would be in the key of C? OK, t'was my spiritual moment!
Ok Whatever.
Post a Comment