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OwlSA
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347
Durban, South Africa

0 posted 2006-02-22 03:34 PM



PRISMS AND PRISONS
TO MM
±1988

LIGHT

The most pertinent thing about Light
is the subject upon which it falls.

When Self fills the circle
it cannot see Light.


COLOUR

Perception and colour are heightened by
the warmth and light
of the sun,
and the empathy
of the human heart,
where there is one.


BLINDNESS

The trouble with the Reality
of the Prejudiced,
is that it is
Illusion.


JUDGMENT

When Self’s mirror shattered,
your window offered no consolation -
only images
of
others -
but stone
- even Michaelangelo’s David,
cannot open windows.


SENTENCE

Ambition laughed, and grew
past the Light
into Darkness.


CONFINEMENT

Sometimes, when a spirit is broken
compassion is born -
but not always.

Often, compassion
gives birth
to a capacity to love.

Always, this frees the spirit.

Never, will you know this freedom.

How sad it is that you
are your own warder.


SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

Face makes sure that he never loses face,
for,
after all,
what else is there?


FINALITY

When a man pounds his head continuously,
aimlessly and for pleasure,
against a wall,
the options are:
to remove the man,
to remove the wall,
to cushion the blows,
or, to ignore the damage.
Only a woman who has tried them all
knows that there they are
all
impossible.  


PAST FINALITY

A drunkard rolling in the gutter,
and begging for help,
commands more respect
than
a king who flaunts his weaknesses
as strengths.


REPRIEVE?

Will the sun
one day
melt your iron reserve,
and teach you
the comforting pain
of human error,
fear,
loneliness
and defeat?

And will anyone be around to notice?

- Owl

© Copyright 2006 Diana van den Berg - All Rights Reserved
StevenS
Senior Member
since 2005-09-21
Posts 945
L. A. (Lower Alabama)
1 posted 2006-02-22 07:37 PM


A little deep for an old country boy like me Owl. But I think you chose yourself a fitting name. It all seems to make perfect sense. :-)
Klassy Lassy
Member Elite
since 2005-06-28
Posts 2187
Oregon
2 posted 2006-02-22 08:29 PM


The topics read like free association.  The eyes see in depth here and are a bit saddened by what could be to be first hand observation.  

Life is full of harsh challenges.  I really like that you see compassion as an avenue to love.  It certainly is to healing.

~ Karen ~  

Klassy Lassy
Member Elite
since 2005-06-28
Posts 2187
Oregon
3 posted 2006-02-22 08:39 PM


Some of the best poems I have read on line have come from the poets of South Africa.  ~ K ~

The Lady
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-12-26
Posts 7634
The Southwest
4 posted 2006-02-23 12:04 PM




"Sometimes, when a spirit is broken
compassion is born -
but not always."

And you Diana are an exceptional poet.

OwlSA
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347
Durban, South Africa
5 posted 2006-02-23 02:27 PM


Klassy Lassy, you are right.  There is an association, perhaps a little more tight than a free association, though, as detailed below.  And yes, it is a first-hand observation, and a sad one too.  And thanks about we South African poets!

Thank you Kate, but so are you an exceptional poet!

Yes, Steven, you are right.  There is a progression from Prisms to Prisons – and from Light to Colour to Blindness to Judgement to Sentence to Confinement to Solitary Confinement to Finality to Past Finality to the question of (but decided uncertainty) of Reprieve.

This suite of poems is about a relationship I had with a very cold, egoistical and egotistical, but benign, economics professor at the local university who felt that he was elite and that his students were the most elite in the university.  (I adored his dog, a black Labrador called Oscar, though.)

The Prisms include Light, Colour, Blindness (the absence of light and colour and therefore the opposite, therefore connected to them in a negative way).  The Prisons include Blindness, Judgement, Sentence, Confinement, Solitary Confinement, Finality, Past Finality, and Reprieve? (but note the question mark).  Thus Blindness is where the Prisms and the Prisons cross over because it fits into both.    

The poem, Light, is saying that he can’t see the light, because he is taking up all the limelight and thus he can’t see it because he is filling it.

The poem, Colour, is saying that his life has no perception nor colour because he doesn’t absorb nor reflect the light and warmth of the sun and he has no empathy because he has no heart.

Blindness is saying that his reality is an illusion because he is prejudiced.

Judgement is saying that when his mirror (his ego because he is always looking in the mirror - at least metaphorically) is shattered, he can’t use the window to see himself because all he can see if he looks at a window is people on the outside of the window (as it is transparent and not a mirror) and he can’t open the windows to communicate with the people on the outside because he is made of stone, and stone can’t open windows.

Sentence (in the sense of being sentenced in a court) is saying that he is so ambitious that he went too far and passed from the light of ambition into the darkness (and that was his sentence).

Confinement is saying that he has no compassion, therefore no capacity to love, therefore no freedom of spirit and he will never be free, and he is his own prison warder, because his confinement is of his own making.

Solitary Confinement is saying that he tries never to lose face because all he has and is, is a façade.

Finality is saying that neither I nor anyone else, can help him.

Past Finality is saying that I have more respect for somebody who knows he needs help and asks for it, than for somebody who parades his weaknesses as strengths (and believes himself).

Reprieve? is questioning whether it is possible that he could one day become human enough to accept that error, fear, loneliness and defeat play a large part in his life, as they do in all other people, and would any woman have stuck it out long enough to be around at the time and actually notice the change in one previously so arrogant?

- Owl

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