Skip to main content

Slaves

One of my dreams is to have something I've written published. I've submitted a number of poems to a poetry magazine, but all of them have been rejected. This was my latest effort, which I learned today was rejected, too. Structured poetry seems to have lost its allure ever since Robert Frost passed. Free verse is more popular today. The poem I submitted today was a free verse poem. Maybe I'll have more luck with that one. Anyway, this one isn't too bad, though the first stanza could be clearer. If you can understand the meaning behind the poem, then I've improved! That's all that matters, I suppose, to grow and see improvement. I think this poem reflects that for me.

Beyond the distance chasms wide
Rest battles’ long-since counted cost
Whose soldiers’ souls now left for lost
Lie locked alone to wait release

From forth their tortured silent state
Their calls for final rest ring loud
Above the din of busied crowd
Both heard and shunned from memory

‘Til quickly summoned from their graves
They’re charged to serve as ghostly slaves
To fight anew by force of will
Under masters’ scorn

On such occasions some then turn
And face the drivers’ well-worn whip
Whispering soft and sullen quip,
“Who’s master, you or I?”

Their masters, sick of absent peace,
Return the souls to fleeting rest
They feign to learn within their breast
These lessons learned from Sky

Beyond the distant deep divide
Sit sullen masters steeped in pride
Whose swollen souls have long-since died
Becoming what their hearts have made.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heroes

Although we have several examples of heroes in our day, one of the best known is of a woman named Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (“Gonja Bojaju”), who devoted her life to sustaining the “poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.” Her venue was Calcutta, India, where she served as a teacher until she began to take notice of the poverty there. Seeking to do something about it, she began an organization that consisted of just thirteen members at its inception. Called the “Missionaries of Charity,” the organization would eventually burgeon into well over 5,000 members worldwide, running approximately 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries; and caring for the orphaned, blind, aged, disabled, and poor. As her personal work expanded, she traveled to countries like Lebanon, where she rescued 37 children from a hospital by pressing for peace between Israel and Palestine; to Ethiopia, where she traveled to help the hungry; to Chernobyl, Russia, to assist victims of the nuclear meltdown there; and to
2 comments
Read more

Comparative Medical Care

One thing I'd like to understand is why there is such a difference between medical costs here and those in Haiti. At the time the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written, in 2003, it often cost $15,000 to $20,000 annually to treat a patient with tuberculosis, while it cost one one-hundredth of that-- $150 to $200-- to treat a patient for the disease in Haiti. Even if the figures aren't completely accurate, the sheer difference would still be there. Indeed, the United States pays more per capita for medical care than any other country on Earth. My first guess for why the disparity exists is that there is a market willing and able to pay more for medical treatment, so suppliers see the demand and respond with higher prices. According to at least one doctor (go to http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2009/05/what_is_the_cause_of_excess_co.php), part of the reason is administrative prices here. People here have a higher standard of living, and so the cost of care is shifted to
2 comments
Read more

Movie Night

We did it again. My leadership class and I put together another event. We invited the school to watch Dispicable Me . The movie was a hit, so much so that one little girl got up to dance with the main character at the end of the movie. It was a wholesome family night, and on a Monday no less! There were very few issues. It was just a relaxing evening. We're going to use the proceeds to pay for our leadership conference in late March and early April. It should make for a meanigful experience. Signing off...
1 comment
Read more