navwin » Archives » Open Poetry #21 » In Memory of Myself
Open Poetry #21
Post A Reply Post New Topic In Memory of Myself Go to Previous / Newer Topic Back to Topic List Go to Next / Older Topic
ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA

0 posted 2002-08-04 07:08 PM


          In Memory of Myself

          It was an Homerian epic roundtrip
          one-eyed captain of my soul
          a minotaur who has a bad memory
          and loses himself in mazes of his own making
          a flagrant speeder not flinching at the Siren's wail
          never looking in the back mirror
          (images are larger than they appear)
          Alive, yes! fossiled skeleton that still walks
          and the answer on floating air
          ivory words on bone-white sheets
          barely visible to a poor reader

          Ah, myself - ago
          I knew him well
          Now I lay him down to rest
          my soul to keep
          and live in the shell of Lazarus' twin brother
          what a pity he was but a poorly written first draft
          myself - now
          a fresh library pocket in a clean manuscript
          not yet a single date stamped on it

          there is a landfill, somewhere, filled
          with my balled up File 13 drafts

          somethings are just better
          left forgotten



© Copyright 2002 Picasso Lyrics - All Rights Reserved
serenity blaze
Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738

1 posted 2002-08-04 07:13 PM


wowser...the title caught my eye and the many allusions in this captivated me. It suits my mood today, too. grin.  I loved the concept of this piece and agree with the philosophy of the message, but methinks I might quibble with the summation. Even me, with notorious bad memory, can't seem to forget....some things.

Enjoyed very much. I do hope to be reading more!

Sunnyone
Member Ascendant
since 2000-07-06
Posts 5334
Staffordshire, England
2 posted 2002-08-04 07:15 PM


Ah, yes, it seems to be a re-discovery of oneself, a clean slate to pen on....this is tremendous in it's meaning, and I enjoyed!!

Open the door and let your adventure begin!!!
  
    


ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA
3 posted 2002-08-04 07:31 PM


Oh, Serenity!  I am deeply humbled and profoundly honored by your reply.
B4 i say any thing else:
Best soulfull wishes in your marriage.  What a wonderful week you must have had!
You pegged my message in this, precisely, even with the heavy metaphors and
such.  Like you, its hard to forget, but that is the plan anyway!  Thankx Serenity!

Sunny-One:  Bingo!  how many of us get a clean slate chance, and better yet,
a person to allow us to better ourselves and our lives?  Perhaps i have that
chance, now.  It is a blessing beyond words.
Thank you so much for your wisdom, Sunny1!!
tSR

Mistletoe Angel
Deputy Moderator 10 ToursDeputy Moderator 10 ToursDeputy Moderator 5 Tours
Member Empyrean
since 2000-12-17
Posts 32816
Portland, Oregon
4 posted 2002-08-04 07:37 PM




(big hugggssssss) Oh yes, this truly is a poem about introspection to me, and while it is important to build ourselves up from understanding the past, we should never dwepp and lose ourselves in it forever and let it all go! (sigh) This is excellent, sweet friend, I love it, we all love you so much! You have such a beautiful heart, sweet Jeff, thank you for sharing!



May love and light always shine upon you!

Love,
Noah Eaton

"Underneath your clothes there's an endless story..."

Shakira

Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
5 posted 2002-08-04 07:45 PM



Jeff...one word...
well, more than one word...

don't you dare file 13 anything!


Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049
California
6 posted 2002-08-04 07:56 PM


Jeff

To ball up that first draft, mistakes and all and start again...is indeed a wonderful feeling.  I have had it myself...although I did keep a secret diary just to remind me that even in the bad, there is some good.  Enjoy your clean, but don't be too afraid to make mistakes...it's a human thing.  Sorry, you got me rambling here...as usual.  That's because I enjoy your poetry so much.  Thank you for that.

ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA
7 posted 2002-08-04 07:57 PM


Noah, i used a bit of poetic license to make a point here.  I have had a wacky life, but the people i met, i don't regret having them in it.  Wrong turns here and there, but many times it is was hindsight.  In burying the past, i also am opening a door to forgiveness and forgetting transgressions.  There's alot of living yet to be done!!!!
Thankx, my friend, for helping me see thru your eyes.  ~huugg~

Sunshine of Everyone's life:
In MY DOCUMENTS there are over 400 unposted poems, as well as another
200 in my POSTED file that never made it here, but made it elsewhere in another forum.  I would venture to say:  most of them ain't worth the Charmin it was printed on!  hehehe  More of Mind Sandpaper than T.P if you get my drift!  
Thankx for the thoughts, always, and best of life to you!
jeff

ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA
8 posted 2002-08-04 08:01 PM


Oh Martie.....don't apologize!  Sheesh!  I am a discussion Hound myself!  *s*
Approaches to life are so individualized, everybody's opinions.....i get sooo
confused!   Really, in truth, i have had a good life.  Difficult as hell at times,
but i am looking forward to tomorrow, always!

Thankx Sweet Lady!
Love reading you as well!  Your mind is a deep well i love to drink from.
jeff

Marsha
Deputy Moderator 1 Tour
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-10
Posts 7423
Maidstone Kent England
9 posted 2002-08-04 08:21 PM


Jeff darling boy, you know my dearest friend, every single time I read you I’m left pondering how special your writing is. Not only because you plumb the depths of thought, not even that your writing takes my mind on a trip somewhere it has never been, not the reason your writing speaks to me so is that it stirs the recesses of my own soul. Brings forth images and thoughts that I might have pondered but didn’t have time to explore. YOU explore them so well and I love it utterly.

You have definitely got a clean and unwritten sheet, and YOU shine my sweet friend you shine indeed. This is utterly utterly beautifully written, the phrases and the flow perfect I love it, but you know that don’t you

Love and light
as always
Mushy


Breathe through the heat of our desire
Thy coolness and they balm
Let sense be dumb let flesh retire
Speak through the earthquake wind and fire

Madame Chipmunk
Member Rara Avis
since 2001-12-05
Posts 8296
Michigan
10 posted 2002-08-04 08:35 PM


Ah, myself - ago
          I knew him well
          Now I lay him down to rest
          my soul to keep
          and live in the shell of Lazarus' twin brother
          what a pity he was but a poorly written first draft
          myself - now

This is so very interesting and thought provoking, Jeff.
During my freshman year in college,in the dreaded freshman comp class, we had an assignment to write our own obituaries.

I think you might have gotten and A+ for creativity on this one...
~ hugs from a freshman chipmunk

Lyra

copyright2002 Lyra Nesius

"poetry is life distilled"  Gwendolyn Brooks

ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA
11 posted 2002-08-04 08:36 PM


shucks, Maaaaaasha.....
well um er.....it was a self-eulogy
putting to rest some ghosts
I agree that most people can probably relate to this concept
I should also say, this was inspired by Charles Stanley's sermon.
You are a caring and special friend, Marsha.
One i value without equivocation.

Oh yeah....my longwinded way of saying:
THANK YOU!!!!!!  *smiles*
jeff

ShadowRider
Senior Member
since 2001-07-14
Posts 1038
USA
12 posted 2002-08-04 08:41 PM


Hi Munk-Lady-Guinnivere!
How fascinating that you had to write a paper on this!  Would love to hear
more about what people said.  I think the purpose was to summarize a
person's life's achievements and using the eulogy as a tool to do this.
That would be a difficult assignment.  But, as you see here, i would have
slightly fudged on it, and gave it the old S.Rider slant on it, hedging all bets!
When i think of your life, the hard lessons that were thrust upon you....
sigh
i think we, as people without all that tragedy,
don't know blessings from hamburgers.
But your smile reminds me.....
~hug~
jeff

Madame Chipmunk
Member Rara Avis
since 2001-12-05
Posts 8296
Michigan
13 posted 2002-08-05 12:56 PM


When I was in college, Jeff...I really hadn't had any tragic things happen to me yet.
I guess the worst thing that had ever happened to me by that time was being a wall flower at a school dance...so I reall didn't know a blessing from a hamburger back then.
When I was growing up, my parents would never let me eat hamburgers in restaurants (they used to say that in meat which wasn't ground at home, you never know what they put into it....a slight Jewish paranoia here)....
so when I went away to college, and I could eat as many hamburgers in restaurants as I wanted to, they became a blessing...I sometimes even ate the ones with cheese on them ( a real Jewish sin) except for the 15 lbs I gained from eating them.
Regarding the obituary, I honestly don't remember what I said in mine, but I do remember that some other classmates talked about how brilliant and accomplished they were.  I think a lot of wishful thinking went into those obits.
I probably said that I graduated from Boston University with a major in husband hunting and a minor in hamburger eating LOL
~ hugs from an annoying rodent

Lyra

copyright2002 Lyra Nesius

"poetry is life distilled"  Gwendolyn Brooks

Toerag
Member Ascendant
since 1999-07-29
Posts 5622
Ala bam a
14 posted 2002-08-05 01:00 PM


Whew! This is stronger'n an acre of garlic!
Honeybee
Member Ascendant
since 1999-12-26
Posts 5372
Ontario, CANADA
15 posted 2002-08-05 01:28 PM



I'm in the process of re-discovering myself, and I am moved by your strong words.  You've become an excellent writer~

Take care,
Melissa~

"Poetry is not an opinion expressed...
it is a song that rises from a bleeding
wound...or a smiling mouth"

~Kahlil Gibran~

Bill Charles
Member Patricius
since 2000-07-11
Posts 10619
highways, & byways, for now
16 posted 2002-08-05 04:40 PM


ShadowRider - went through many trials recently. Had to do a complete re-discovery. Still learning though and I believe it's always going to be that way...

BC

Dulcinea
Senior Member
since 2001-07-22
Posts 774
IN
17 posted 2002-08-06 12:56 PM


Some memories are best forgotten and wiped away for sure. Nothing feels better than a second chance at life. I like how well you were inspired! Nicely done dear! A for this one. ~wink~
Post A Reply Post New Topic ⇧ top of page ⇧ Go to Previous / Newer Topic Back to Topic List Go to Next / Older Topic
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format.
navwin » Archives » Open Poetry #21 » In Memory of Myself

Passions in Poetry | pipTalk Home Page | Main Poetry Forums | 100 Best Poems

How to Join | Member's Area / Help | Private Library | Search | Contact Us | Login
Discussion | Tech Talk | Archives | Sanctuary