Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Balance


"You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance."
 Ken Kesey


Guds hand 2007.jpg
God's Hand, sculpture by Carl Milles (2007)
photo by Ellgaard Holger


Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings.” 
― Jelaluddin Rumi
Libra2.jpg
Balance Scales: symbol of Libra


Midweek Motif ~ Balance

Astrologically, we're in Libra.  Is that not reason enough to think of balance, balance with grace and poise?  

How easy is balance in any area of life?  Do you look for balance? lose it? create it? guard it? suspect it?

Your Challenge:  Explore the possibilities of balance in a new poem.

A woman demonstrating the ability to balance (1904)

In life
one is always
balancing

like we juggle our mothers 
against our fathers 

or one teacher 
against another 
(only to balance our grade average) 

3 grains of salt 
to one ounce truth 

our sweet black essence 
or the funky honkies down the street 

and lately i've begun wondering 
if you're trying to tell me something 

we used to talk all night 
and do things alone together 

and i've begun 
(as a reaction to a feeling) 
to balance 

the pleasure of loneliness 
against the pain 
of loving you 


GOODBYE TO TOLERANCE
Genial poets, pink-faced   
earnest wits—
you have given the world   
some choice morsels,
gobbets of language presented
as one presents T-bone steak
and Cherries Jubilee.   
Goodbye, goodbye,
                            I don’t care
if I never taste your fine food again,   
neutral fellows, seers of every side.   
Tolerance, what crimes
are committed in your name.
And you, good women, bakers of nicest bread,   
blood donors. Your crumbs
choke me, I would not want
a drop of your blood in me, it is pumped   
by weak hearts, perfect pulses that never   
falter: irresponsive
to nightmare reality.
It is my brothers, my sisters,
whose blood spurts out and stops
forever
because you choose to believe it is not your business.
Goodbye, goodbye,
your poems
shut their little mouths,   
your loaves grow moldy,   
a gulf has split
                     the ground between us,
and you won’t wave, you’re looking
another way.
We shan’t meet again—
unless you leap it, leaving   
behind you the cherished   
worms of your dispassion,   
your pallid ironies,
your jovial, murderous,   
wry-humored balanced judgment,
leap over, un-
balanced? ... then
how our fanatic tears
would flow and mingle   
for joy ...
File:Edderkoppmannen.jpg
Spiderman in old age, Reykjavik by Pobel (2010)

An Irish Airman foresees his Death
BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I know that I shall meet my fate Somewhere among the clouds above; Those that I fight I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love; My country is Kiltartan Cross, My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor, No likely end could bring them loss Or leave them happier than before. Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public men, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds; I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind In balance with this life, this death.
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 ~ The Owl.)

16 comments:

  1. Good morning. poets. Against my own advice, I rushed to complete a poem before showing up today. Go figure! I'll probably revise a few times as the day rolls along. Maybe by day's end, I'll find balance. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the challenge. A big welcome to All!

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  2. Thanks Susan, for the excellent and challenging prompt. Happy Wednesday everyone :)

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  3. Thanks for today's prompt Susan

    much love...

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  4. Hi Susan! Hope the prompt would be noticed in my poem a bit obliquely though:) Great to be here after a long gap.. PU was missed all these weeks:)

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  5. Hello everyone, from a very unbalanced Toronto, as more rain is expected to fall here. Also finished growing webbing on feet and hands. Am sharing a very dark personal poem, this week, very much related to what going in the American capital, Washington, D.C. I have placed a warning to readers that it covers subject matters that they may find offensive.

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  6. Good morning, poets. I enjoyed the examples given, especially the Giovanni poem. Thanks for the prompt, Susan.

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  7. Thanks for the prompt Susan. Got me saying what was on my mind.

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  8. Hi! A difficult choice to make in poetry as well as in life

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  9. A difficult choice to make in poetry as in life

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  10. Beautiful! So many facets to explore.

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  11. A day late but better late then never - I just tipped the balance of Wednesday into the second half of the week! It took a while for the prompt to sink in and simmer.

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  12. I’m late too! Great prompt Susan!

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  13. What a marvelous group of poems! I love that some of you are taking your time. Your images are moving!

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  14. Hi forgive me if I am off my rhythm . Writing a poem after a month of drafting plaints and affidavits!

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  15. Gotta lotta
    exceedingly
    exquisite,
    extraordinary
    exponential
    extravanganza
    expunging
    excessively.
    Whew.
    Wannum?

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