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january flowers (In No Way Reflecting On the Person of that Name)
| Open Poetry #6 |
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january flowers (In No Way Reflecting On the Person of that Name) |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855
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-january flowers- Through the frost, Watch them bloom, January flowers on god's tomb. Intricately marked in shapes we know. Petals coloring the bright lit snow. Footprints are here To mark the passing Of our passing feet. Footsteps taken, Step lively now, Past defeat. At least now that god has died Proves that he was once alive. I wish now that I could kneel Before his creation; would that heal? Or would my breath just say the things I never could reveal at death? If god is dead, heaven and hell Must be purposeless, another cleft In another cliff by another sea; We've lost all meaning in what we believe. The day still comes, the night still falls; It makes me wonder if god had any part at all. Or was he just enough to make us? And then he let us go rather than enslave us? I don't know, But the poppies and lilacs, The irises and seedling trees Still grow. Among the many january blooms, I see that the beauty of truth makes us swoon. But the necessity of lies makes us live, And both things give us wings. |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
But He has risen! He don't leave us to hang. He is with us always! <*\\\>< There's only two ways you can go... One way you can save your riches, And the other will save your soul. Rich Mullins |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
(oooohhhh...being careful now, aren't we? that should have been read with a cockney accent in mind...) Almost didn't reply, fear I am being boring. But you made it impossible not to....This all came together for me...whether or not it is relative, is, well, relative...fascinating, thought-provoking, left me curious... |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
WhtDove, I find it interesting that the only reply you have to this is to say that god is still alive. I agree, he is alive; so why have to reaffirm it all the time? It's like covering something up -- like you've pounded it so far into your head you cannot believe in anything else. I like shaking up people's worlds (it's what my poetry, and me, is all about), and I see I've done plenty of shaking this time.  God is with us, yes. Always? No way. I believe god is as flawed as we are -- that's why so many things happen (a la flight 261) where we can say in a cliche over and over again "We cannot understand His plans." If god were perfect, quite simply, we wouldn't exist -- because we're made in his image.If I pounced on you during this message, sorry about that. I'm more trying to prove a point -- and enjoy doing it with words I can feel proud of -- than single any person out. But organized religion so much of the time breeds complacency, not actual understanding of raw, intimate, sometimes outrageous and beautiful faith. Mike |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
serenity, Never fear, 'cause you're NEVER boring! Thanks for reading.Mike |
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Meadowmuse Member Elite
since 1999-12-27
Posts 3263 |
The questioning and contrasting images of this piece will be what stay with me, I think. |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
Claire, That's just what I wanted. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Mike |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
More on this, but let's take it out of the forum. e mail me--I guess I should say ANYBODY can e mail me at: [email protected]. Be patient, tho, computer is as slow as a slug in salt... |
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January Flowers Member
since 2000-02-01
Posts 209South Carolina |
Slug in Salt.....EEeeeeewwwwwww! Squirrel~ LOVE THE NAME although it is no reflection on me!  This is a very interesting take on life...and I can't help but feel a bit sad in it's aftermath. Why? Can't put my finger on that one...just a feeling. Sigh. Great job with this writing. Thought provoking. Argumentative. The "good stuff" memorable writings are made of! (and a FABULOUS NAME TO BOOT...did I mention how much I like it?) |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Mike...As a January flower myself, I was intrigued by the title and once past it, the feeling never left. There is a lot beyond the clever disguise the words themself wear....nicely written. [This message has been edited by hoot_owl_rn (edited 02-25-2000).] |
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Corazon Senior Member
since 2000-02-02
Posts 1209 |
well I have told you before, that we think the same questions, and I just don't understand a God who would let a 6 year old be dragged to death from his seatbelt by a car jacker, or a little one being sexually abused and the list goes on and on...I just don't understand and this poem wraps all that up perfectly...whether we understand or not, god is god, and every year the flowers still bloom....so what are we doing here? great writing my friend |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
serenity, I sent you an e-mail. And your "slug on salt" comment, while completely disgusting ( ), reminded me of a short story by Raymond Carver. If you've never read him, get out to a bookstore and pick up Cathedral and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. If you want depth of emotion written so seemingly simply it makes you ache, with an eye for only the absolute necessity of detail, he's your man. (plug for one of my favorite writers over)January Flowers, I'm glad you enjoyed. Your name was just so poetic in its own right that it made me think of flowers blooming in the snow, petals dusted; and snow is usually (in literature anyway) a symbol of quietude and death; which somehow got me to thinking about what if god died and no one noticed? That was a very difficult question to ask, because it flies against my upbringing and ingrained beliefs, but I think a faith can only be truly tested, and dealt with according, when you have lots of doubts. The sadness you come away from the poem with reflects mine as well; I never really did find a concrete answer. hoot, Thanks for reading, and for your gentle insight. Corazon, You pretty much summed it up. Thanks! Mike |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania |
Interesting poem. It reminds me of a poem I wrote recently about how we might be using the same word to describe something, but may be seeing it in completely different ways, such as the color blue, or God, for instance. I would be disappointed to think that God went to the grave before I did, or even that he comes and goes, like in and out of a turnstile, but then I never saw Him as an image of me, more as an essence of life. But then again, my color of blue might be different from yours. As I say, interesting poem. Liz And incidentally, I love the title [This message has been edited by Elizabeth Santos (edited 02-26-2000).] |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
Liz, Thanks for your thoughtful commentary. I'd love to see that poem you're talking about! Mike |
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christies heart Member
since 1999-08-10
Posts 189NJ, USA |
Not only do I think your poem is quite well done, I also find it touching in many ways. The conflicts and questioning of faith (or of life) that you express are very real. I know I related to much of what you expressed. I do believe in my heart that blind faith in God's all knowing self is, in some ways, very inspirational for those who truely have it. I don't know what that would be like personally, though. Many, however, do hide (in my opinion) in blind acceptace of many horific realities of the world that often cannot be easily reconciled with all knowing and loving God. Very touching!!! Grant that I may not judge my niegbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasians Native American prayer |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania |
Here is that little poem I told you about. I had to dig it up in forum #5. We Think Alike , You and I It's funny how the mind conceives Of thought and notion it believes And it may take a different hue But think a thought the same as you Perhaps the thought is just the same But worded in a different name Or have a slightly different cast But still the same, in sameness last And who's to say the vision's hue The blue you see is truly blue And though my blueness lighter be It's really all the same to me Elizabeth Santos |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
christies heart, Thanks for reading. I agree with what you say -- sometimes I wonder if true blind faith is really possible. Is all blind faith based on not being able to understand, and using that as a catch-all to ignore feelings? I don't know. Thanks for making me think. Liz, Thanks for reposting. I enjoyed the poem; very concise, and you somehow made a message rhyme. Thanks for sharing.Mike |
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