Arrival at the zenith
A perspective
The apex
Where all things return
To their opposite
Like light washed out by
A competition between
Blackness and ridicule
A race rigged from the start
Where illusions collapse
Brotherhood
Unity
Peace
Ground beneath
Clumping steel-capped boots
Of judgement
And sticking to the sole
Like so much chewed gum
Annihilate my compassion
Make it a tool
A weakness
An arrow
A profit-seeking missile
Adorned with raiment
Exquisitely
Painstakingly
Hand-crafted
Jewels of disgust
Aim shame at the heart
Still the dirge plays on
Comparing woes
“You think that’s bad
What about me?”
Like empathy stolen away
Locked in the dark foundations
Of a socially powered amusement park
Where to succeed
Is to be rescued
By the whitest of self-appointed knights
Holding a refractory mirror
As your shield-in-abeyance
Reflecting tin-foil heroines
Oiled by complementary angles
Scarecrow heroes
Sporting a bevy of crakes
Liberated from mudflat homes
And a life among reeds
Home is where the dollar is
So consume this flight
From behind that mask
And leave the truth
Over there
With that pile of ill-fitting robes
and political dirty laundry
Undigested
Improbable
Unconscionable
The sun-starved spirit
Walks backwards
In abnegation
Retrieving
Gold dust and manna
From the gaps
Of separation
Left in the wake
Of starry-eyed looters.
Powerful ideas and execution.
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Thank you, it’s a departure from the standard, so I’m even more grateful than usual for the feedback. 🙂
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Reblogged this on gohomeubb and commented:
I want people to be able to live and speak their own truth without fear. We need all the humans, all the cultures and races, all the differences and similarities. Just because we don’t understand how it all fits together, doesn’t mean anyone has the right to determine what/who is expendable and who/what isn’t.
Infinite diversity…
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The path of power depends on judgment, separation, rejection and all the -isms. The path of love and compassion holds understanding, and inclusiveness. We get to choose each day, each moment….
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Indeed we do… Thank you so much for those words of wisdom, Annette. I couldn’t have said it as eloquently 🙂
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Truth and those that can not, will not embrace it know in their heart of hearts, that the truth will set you free, but first its gonna piss you off.
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Absolutely! Thank you so much for stopping by. I have a feeling you know one or two things about the truth 🙂
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A smouldering, passionate and savagely honest poem, composed economically, intelligently and with verbal virtuosity.
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You’ve summed me up to a tee – what absolutely fantastic feedback!
How are you going? I must say I thoroughly enjoyed “Decadent Days” by the way, although I did feel a bit guilty about the oysters…
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In summing me up, I was laying claim to the “smouldering, savagely honest” bit 🙂
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Well, it was a fantastic poem, Robyn.
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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I’m feeling great Robyn, for someone over eighty. It’s meeting people like you (hardly ever) that keeps me young.
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How good is that? Over eighty, I’m impressed. The thing I love about you Ken is that you keep me on my toes and inspire me to step up my game, rather than putting the brakes on.
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Dear Robyn – Exquisite – just intrinsically poignantly beautiful ~
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Thank you Belinda, so so much. You have to know that our conversation helped me bring to light exactly what I wanted/needed to express.
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’tis how it works dear one ~ Yes ~ I know ~ 😉
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Reblogged this on Idiot Writing and commented:
Beautifully executed poem ~ from a beautifully talented and unbelievably well rounded, open hearted and wise young lady.
Thank you fro this exquisite poem Robyn.
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Starkly truthful, puts into perspective the dollar dream….🍀
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Ahh Mick, I am so delighted you stopped by. 🙂 Very glad you enjoyed the poem.
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I am glad too, hope all is well with you Jamborobyn, 😃
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This brought me right into your world, with a flash light and magnifying glass. Beautiful! Found you through Belinda’s reblog.
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Wow! Thank you so much, and I am so grateful to Belinda for the reblog, such community spirit cannot be packaged up and sold back to us as though we didn’t own it in the first place.
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I’m reading your story on your other site right now…wow. More later:>)
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Oh, yes, this is some community we have here. I think it keeps many of us sand at times, some feel acceptance for the first time in their lives. Yes, a great place:>)
back to the other sight, only up to high school. Hope you are writing a memoir!
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I look forward to checking it all out. There is an additional story waiting to be written about my life, but I don’t seem to have grown quite enough to write with any real perspective on the topic. It kind of makes me depressed every time I think about sharing it, but then you arrive on the scene and you are well-versed on that kind of thing. So I will buck up my courage, take a peek at how you’ve handled things and see whether that starts the flow. So lovely to meet you, Patti.
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Robyn,
Lovely to meet you too. Almost done with amazing comments on your story. There are parts I am not ready to write, or even think about, but we see what writing it out does for others AND ourselves and it just keeps going. Your voice is strong, intelligent, humorous and you write so damn well! I hope you take it further.
Warm Hugs,
patti
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Oh, damn typo…”it keeps many of us sane, NOT sand”
I’m laughing at that one:>)
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🙂
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Powerful social commentary in a beautiful poem. Well done, indeed.
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Thank you very much Nav, so kind of you to drop by and I am so glad you enjoyed the poem. I wrote this one by hand (instead of typing on the computer) and it took many drafts and rewrites which is unusual for me, but somehow more fulfilling. A return to the old ways 😉
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Most of mine were done the same way. There’s something special about breaking out the quill and ink well, isn’t there?
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Indeed there is. Luxury! In a Monty Python “Live at the Hollywood Bowl” kind of way. When I was a lad…
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… uphill both ways, in a blizzard, with no coat on while carrying a box of ice cubes… 🙂
Have to run and get ready for work. Cheers.
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LOL
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Brilliant piece of poetry and so apt for the times we (unfortunately) live in.
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Thank you JD, I am honoured. For the first time in the history of humanity a vast percentage of the human population can communicate with and support each other – without hindrance by borders or language. Aside from all the other soul-destroying stuff going on, I am so very glad of that one thing.
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The “Robyn” becomes the “Hawk”. LoL
What else to say.. Wonderful..!!
Sometimes I think God has left some “animal” in us “humans”
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LOL! I’m a big fan of hawks (from a distance). Thank you, Carl, for your comments. You ALWAYS brighten my day 🙂
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Robyn, you’ve done it again! You make people sit up and take notice because what you write and how you write it is of such magnificence that it keeps us coming back for more. Take your bow, good Lady, take your bow!!!
I’ll write more later after I’ve thawed out a bit and my thoughts are less muddled. Meanwhile, I shall meander through the archives of which I’m looking forward to.
Thank you for sharing this one!!!
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Thank you, Shelby, it is such a pleasure to have you drop by. You have such a way with words and I’m wearing a huge grin at such a lovely compliment. Magnificence! Just the kind of thing a Leo likes to hear (star signs are just as accurate!? as categorisation by race or social status)
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I am so very glad that I happened upon your blog by you happening upon mine. It saddens me deeply that I could have possibly missed out, if chance and possibly, fate had not stepped in. Words simply fail me Robyn in trying to describe the emotions you evoke when I read your essays and poetry. I hope you never stop writing because if you do, what a great loss it would be! I sincerely mean that!
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Oh Shelby, it is impossible that we couldn’t find each other and I am equally as delighted. I will send you an email later if that’s OK (still half asleep here), there are some things I want to go over in a less public forum.
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Breathtaking.
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Very pleased that you enjoyed it. It started with one word and it came from the depths, a long held-back feeling that ended up spilling out onto the paper. Welcome!
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If “Walking backwards” is an example of your “long held-back feelings” you have just got to let it out, you’re denying the world great beauty and there is precious little of that now.
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OK, I hear you! I’m getting there, slowly, it has been approximately one month since I’ve accepted that I seem to keep writing and that I will continue to write. I truly appreciate your words of encouragement.
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