Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Fear


The enemy is fear
source


“Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

We are so scared of being  judged that we look for every excuse to procrastinate.” 
― Erica JongSeducing the Demon

“Fear is the mind-killer. 
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
 I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. ” 
― Frank Herbert, Dune



Midweek Motif ~ Fear

I had many days without fear as a child and fewer days during my work-for-income years.  Then, I developed a philosophy about fear and how I should welcome it as a guest and hear what it had to say.  Hearing did not mean heeding, of course. Fear now is more social than personal, as I try to prevent the new US of A President DT from Ruining Everything. 

Enough.  Let's get personal.

When is fear helpful, harmful, present, banished?  How do you know what to do with fear?

YOUR CHALLENGE:  In a new poem, unfold a truth you've learned about fear.



Related Poem Content Details

Looking back, it’s something I’ve always had:
As a kid, it was a glass-floored elevator
I crouched at the bottom of, my eyes squinched tight,
Or staircase whose gaps I was afraid I’d slip through,
Though someone always said I’d be all right—
Just don’t look down or Seeit’s not so bad
(The nothing rising underfoot). Then later
The high-dive at the pool, the tree-house perch,
Ferris wheels, balconies, cliffs, a penthouse view,
The merest thought of airplanes. You can call
It a fear of heights, a horror of the deep;
But it isn’t the unfathomable fall
That makes me giddy, makes my stomach lurch,
It’s that the ledge itself invents the leap.


We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives 
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity 
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.

Yet it is only love
which sets us free.



The baby bat
Screamed out in fright,
'Turn on the dark,
I'm afraid of the light. 


Child, Child
by Sara Teasdale

Child, child, love while you can
The voice and the eyes and the soul of a man,
Never fear though it break your heart -
Out of the wound new joy will start;
Only love proudly and gladly and well
Though love be heaven or love be hell.

Child, child, love while you may,
For life is short as a happy day;
Never fear the thing you feel -
Only by love is life made real;
Love, for the deadly sins are seven,
Only through love will you enter heaven.



Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others in the spirit of the community—  
(Next week Sumana’s Midweek Motif will be ~
 A Woman's Day: Be Bold For Change)

25 comments:

  1. It should interesting reading this week... Thank you for the prompt!

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  2. Such a relevant theme this week, Susan. Identifiable!

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    Replies
    1. Identifiable is right. We have all written lots about fear lately. Words help me cope.

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  3. Sadly, Susan, it's personal, for me, given my own past experiences, and what is happening, south of the border, as a Canadian transgendered citizen. How the American political sphere has swung, to the religious Right, and their lack of tolerance, to those, who are different.

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    1. Grrrr, am starting to dislike the changes made to Mr. Linky.....could someone, please remove #8, it's not want I meant to share, for this week motif. THank you.

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    2. No problem. But I really enjoyed the poem.

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    3. Thank you, Susan, it written for yesterday's prompt at dVerse.

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  4. thank you for the prompt Susan, i wrote with a heavy heart...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for going where many fear to tread!

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  5. Hey everyone,

    Hope you guys are having an amazing day so far ❤️ sharing my poem "Fear me (not)" thank you Susan for the lovely opportunity❤️


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, dear! Amazing to read all of these!

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  6. A very relevant prompt, Susan. Very timely.

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    Replies
    1. Sigh. Wish it weren't. Wish we could all write about something that is past.

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  7. This prompt allows for such timely expression. Thank you Susan.

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  8. Chances came knocking
    On the door to his future
    Covered with cobwebs
    So you better run and hide
    Warned the fear of something new

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  9. Hi,
    Thanks for inspiring thoughts. Let's win over all that we fear.

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    Replies
    1. Yes. Welcome! I couldn't see how to comment on your post, so here let me say that you had me at "When a moment gets stuck."
      Such a positive piece. Thank you.

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    2. Biswajit, I found the comment spot, but your verification system will not accept the verification. I tried many times.......you might want to check the verification process and see what is going wrong.......I enjoyed your poem, and its positive message.

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    3. Thank you very much Susan, thank you Sherry Blue Sky. I'm glad that you liked the work. I'll re-engineer comments/message system of my website in a week. Please visit again.

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  10. Sorry to be so last-minute about this, but I didn't think I would be able to write on this topic. How to condense all that I might say? However, the Universe has just provided a small and perfect event which I have put on my 'small stones' blog. :)

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    Replies
    1. I love when the "Aha" moment runs across my path or stops and waits just outside a window.

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