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Open Poetry #13
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The Four Mirrors
| Open Poetry #13 |
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The Four Mirrors |
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PoeticKnight Senior Member
since 2000-01-20
Posts 1144New Orleans, LA |
I put out my cigarette And let the ashes fall Hoping somehow to forget The memory of it all A night that lasted a thousand years And taught me so much A night filled with a thousand fears Sights, I have never seen such It was dark, that much I know I was alone, lost in thought Letting my consciousness go; Clarity of mind is what I sought The air, I remember, stifling me Pulsing like waves from the silence The sound of nothingness pounding me With ever increasing violence Something draws me to my room Something beckons me hither Like a new bride to her groom Before the love begins to wither How much did I desire to explore The root of my unease Oh how much do I deplore The way in which I was seized Drawn ever more strongly now I had to find out once and for all Just had to end this all somehow I stood, and faltered against the wall There is a voice inside us That warns against pursuing such sin And such was in my head thus As into my room I stepped clumsily in At once, the pounding pain ceased And there was nothing But a momentary peace My very last taste of nothing Then all of a sudden, the room spins And the floor starts to sink It holds me and sucks me in Before I have time to think The sensation of falling And an electricity in the air And even though I was falling There was no wind in my hair Multi-colored patterns of light Begin to swirl around me Filling me with such a sight ‘Til it is all I that I can see Then in a flash it is gone And I am left visibly shaken With weak legs to stand upon After the trip I’ve just taken I stood in a single, massive hall With huge, ancient columns, Rows in the distance looked like walls Burning oil lamps made it all so solemn And I thought that I was all alone But then I heard a rhythmic chant Echoing off the hard, cold stone A most deep and melodious chant There was a thick smell of burning incense Hanging heavy in the still air Somehow I knew this was my penance To pursue the glimmer in the dark there Walking with heavy heart, I made no sound There were lights that got nearer Placed in the center of the hall all around, Stood four large ornate mirrors And somehow I knew what I gazed upon For it cut through me cold, like a knife The incense and chanting were gone These were the four mirrors of life The first one shown within a little boy So fresh and innocent was his eyes So full of life and promise and utter joy Before the coming of the mortal lies The second beheld a mature man With a crown of leaves upon his head And a rod of iron held in his hand The blood in his face a bright and burning red The third visage shown a man beaten by age The fire in his eyes dimmed, But a look as of the wisest sage Gave an aura of timelessness to him The fourth, as I looked, shimmered briefly Then the mirror down the length did crack This I marveled at, but not chiefly; For the mirror then went black |
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| © Copyright 2001 J.M. Landry - All Rights Reserved | |||
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nakdthoughts Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200Between the Lines |
Deep thoughts this afternoon, Sir Knight of my Day...*s ~Wynter "The worst prison would be a closed heart". |
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PoeticKnight Senior Member
since 2000-01-20
Posts 1144New Orleans, LA |
Thank you Maureen, despite rumors to the contrary, I am actually here to post deep poetry. Thanks again. |
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Mabel A. Dilley Senior Member
since 2001-03-17
Posts 859Seattle, WA, USA |
Loved looking through and into your mirrors. "I am not now that which I have been." |
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walker Member Elite
since 2001-02-11
Posts 2240Florida |
Sometimes the reflections of the self can scare us, or make us content. Great poem! |
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1slick_lady Member Ascendant
since 2000-12-22
Posts 6088standing on a shadow's lace |
PK.........this is awesome !!! helen "...the rest is silence" (Hamlet) Shakespeare |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Wow...(are you sure that was just a cigarette you put out?  )I think you have succeeded in your goal of posting "deep" poetry PK--this is a "vision" of self-realization written by a visionary poet! Loved this one. |
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Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
what kind of cigarette was that???? Kathleen Blake |
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