A Bit of the Divine - pipTalk Forums

How to Join	Member's Area	Private Library	Search	Sanctuary		Login
Main Forums	Discussion	Tech Talk	Mature Content	Archives	A home without a wall, Our haven without ends, A circle we all call Our Family of Friends!

iliana
Member Patricius

since 2003-12-05

Posts 13434
USA

0 posted 2004-12-23 02:39 AM

(Note:  This poem entails memories of a phrase my father introduced when I was young.  The poem is meant to PROVOKE THOUGHT rather than specify a doctrine of religious belief.  Discussions I recently listened to over the death penalty are actually what evoked the writing.)



“There’s a bit of the divine in all.”
These words my Father taught.
I have not abandoned them
Though ‘times I have forgot.

Like the other day, I heard folks say
How men so cruel should die.
I shut my ears and turned it off
And chalked it, sociology.

Then I remembered angry crowd
Two thousand years ago
Saying He deserved to die
And listening to a crow.

“There’s a bit of the divine in all,”
My Father’s words broke free.
Now I know this man condemned
Was wrongly nailed to tree.

Tho’ law was mocked and crowds shook up,
His true “crime,” nonconformity.
Change brings rage and some must pay
For new growth on the tree.

The crow cawed thrice.
I denied
The wonder I had seen
Because of crowds,
Collective mass,
Motion, electricity,
Fear of being one alone
Accepting my own
Divinity.

How many times
Must we learn
To act independently
And not be stirred en masse to boil
But savor thinking free?

Now here we stand at Heaven’s gate,
Awaiting signs and wonders.
When all this time, the wonder’s clear:
In all that is, there’s something dear.

[This message has been edited by iliana (12-23-2004 03:30 AM).]

Snow

Senior Member

since 2000-10-16

Posts 1170
desert flower looking for rain

1 posted 2004-12-23 03:02 AM

thought provoking, indeed.
personal opinions i'll keep to myself... i'll just let you know that i was touched by your words.

"yet each man kills the thing he loves
by each let this be heard,
some do it with a bitter look,
some with a flattering word"
oscar wilde

iliana
Member Patricius

since 2003-12-05

Posts 13434
USA

2 posted 2004-12-23 03:09 AM

Thanks, Snow. I changed it a little since you posted because I'm still forming my own thoughts on the matter.......lol

....jo

Honeybunch
Member Rara Avis

since 2001-12-29

Posts 7115
South Africa

3 posted 2004-12-23 04:49 AM

Yes, Jo, indeed thought provoking. Stepping out from the crowd is merely the beginning of a long journey but one I think worth undertaking. Oh, and I do agree that there is a "bit of the divine" in all of us - actually I must admit to knowing it for a fact. To all you are ... happy holidays!

passing shadows
Member Empyrean

since 1999-08-26

Posts 45577
displaced

4 posted 2004-12-23 05:33 AM

thanks for this

I am neutral on the matter, I suppose...but this did get me thinking

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

5 posted 2004-12-23 07:07 AM

Your father...so wise...
his daughter? Wiser still,
for not only listening,
but for remembering,
and praying it forward...

Earth Angel
Member Empyrean

since 2002-08-27

Posts 40215
Realms of Light

6 posted 2004-12-23 11:15 AM

A bit of the Divine is showing in you, lovely lily. Unfortunately, things haven't changed much over the past 2,000 years! Mass hysteria and mob mentality continue to wreak havoc around the world.

A very noteworthy read. Your Dad is a very wise man, Grasshopperette (a Magnus term!). The acorn has not fallen far from the tree.

Love you, lily jo! So good to see you posting again. Your presence has been sorely missed!

Love, Light, Peace & Harmony,
Linda

Susan
Member Ascendant

since 2004-03-27

Posts 5104
walking the surreal

7 posted 2004-12-23 11:36 AM

JO - indeed - thought provoking writes are much needed to keep people thinking and analizing common held beliefs and practices -there are layers and layers to this issue and I believe the cure to the evil that spreads is given in the beginning when little hearts just begin - that cure is love. Alas, it seems there is too little of it to go around.

You are right - divinity is within us all, it comes as a little seed that if cared for, nurtured, fed, it will grow and we will see the devine shine, as we do in you -

Happy Holidays - and much love Susan

Happiness isn't something that happens to you, it's created from within you. Joy is a state of mind.

Martie

Moderator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-09-21

Posts 28049
California

8 posted 2004-12-23 12:20 PM

Jo...you are so right...there are pieces of the divine in everything!! Thank you so much for reminding me of this that I knew, but forgot recently.

miscellanea
Member Elite

since 2004-06-24

Posts 4060
OH

9 posted 2004-12-23 12:55 PM

Jo,
   I don't remember Daddy using this phrase, but can well imagine it, as it was his philosophy. (I think he simplified it to me, "there's good in everyone."  The one I remember him using was "such are the vicissitudes of life."  He probably used it because I was such a little vicissitude!  Thanks for bringing memories back.)  He was an exceptional man in thought and deed.  He would be proud of you and love your poetry.

              cathy

inkedgoddess
Member Rara Avis

since 2002-11-19

Posts 7392
Ohio

10 posted 2004-12-23 01:00 PM

How many times
Must we learn
To act independently
And not be stirred en masse to boil
But savor thinking free?

i love this best.....
it defines my daily plight; i am free
until i have to face this world, therefore
i for one, have chosen to live reclusively
as much as possible; among the trees who both shelter and accept me as i am

(no im not on meds....yet)

JamesMichael
Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-16

Posts 33336
Kapolei, Hawaii, USA

11 posted 2004-12-23 07:31 PM

Nice writing...James

EvocativeVerse2
Senior Member

since 2003-09-10

Posts 1279

12 posted 2004-12-23 08:52 PM

I read this yesterday and did not leave a comment...came back to it today because it is still on my mind. When a poem does that it is worth noting. Love this iliana...you tugged at my heart.

Remember, if you're not part of the future, you're history!

GG
Member Elite

since 2002-12-03

Posts 3532
Lost in thought

13 posted 2004-12-31 12:56 PM

Glad I found this and didn't miss it...

I agree, there is a little of the divine in all. If that cruelty hadn't happened 2000 years ago then things would certainly be different today... and quite hopeless. Yep, that's divine! Excellent write

I hope things are okay for you...

Always, Alyssa

He was a man of sorrows
...I am a girl of tears.

iliana
Member Patricius

since 2003-12-05

Posts 13434
USA

14 posted 2004-12-31 12:59 PM

Hey, GG, glad to see you tonight. Hope you are having a good holiday and will have a wonderful 2005. Thanks for the post, bright star.

......jo

iliana
Member Patricius

since 2003-12-05

Posts 13434
USA

15 posted 2004-12-31 01:08 AM

Thanks y'all! Hope all of you dear poets have a wonderful new year!

.....jo

suthern

Member Seraphic

since 1999-07-29

Posts 20723
Louisiana

16 posted 2004-12-31 08:02 AM

With a friend just murdered, I've been thinking about the death penalty a lot... thinking about death a lot... you give me still more to ponder. *S* Excellent write!

	⇧ top of page ⇧
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format.