New poem – What a slender…
Posted on Jun 11, 2023 in Blog feature, Gallery, Recent Writing | 45 comments
What a slender tightrope
It is we tread
Between disgrace
And redemption.
When, such as we are,
And, but for our fear,
We know ourselves
Capable of deeds
Most glorious
And most terrible too.
Best not to dwell
On this though,
Nor on the notion
Of restraint
For that matter!
Our eager spirits
Already dimmed
Too often
By notions
Of just such
A pyrrhic triumph.
Steeped as we are
In tired convention
And the cumulative
Wisdom of the hesitant
That habitually cramp
The moment,
Leaving behind them
Only endless echoes
Of wasteful insignificance.
Rather, for me,
In pivotal moments
Such as this,
I cannot help but smile,
Keeping these,
The best of my hopes
And my dreams, alive.
Whilst, all the while,
The air fills illicitly
With the heady perfume
Of choice.
Very Beautiful
Beautiful. The imagery in your poems is breathtaking. Outstanding.
“We know ourselves
Capable of deeds
Most glorious
And most terrible too.”
I only consider, promote and enact glorious deeds. Everyone knows that. Why would I do otherwise?
Beautiful poem from an awesome soul.
So many powerful lines here. “Best not to dwell . . .” is a soothing balm. I could feel my whole being comforted in that line.
“. . . the cumulative Wisdom of the hesitant . . .” This is stirring. I am endeared to the sparrow soul, the badger heart, the earthworm determination in this poem.
Thank you for sharing this!!!
Great job my lovely friend Keep shining
Thanks Scott. It was actually a nice read.
Your poem reads rhythmic beauty
That’s sort of what I am going through now
We do have choices and mine is trying to see through the eyes of angels, enlightenment if you will. I may be wrong but that’s what I am feeling your words are conveying
The way we view life can be challenging and yes that light and dark is so slender indeed❤️❤️❤️
I enjoyed this deep dig into who we are, the good / bad … well done, Scott.
Oh, this is exactly what I needed today. Beautiful, graceful and a sunny balm for a weary spirit. Love it so much.
I love this one. It is so pertinent to our times, and the ending is completely needed and apropos.
The air fills illicitly
With the heady perfume
Of choice.
Often people get stuck in a loop of their own making, not realizing that the answer is right in front of them and that they have the power within themselves to change. Years ago, dealing with depression and feeling I was caught in such a predicament, I found the strength to get out of it, through such words, at that time written in Steinbeck’s East of Eden. His book saved me, and I am sure this poem will do the same for someone else.
Thank you for sharing Scott ~ You are one amazing man and so talented!!!
I truly admire your writing talent and the incredible gift you possess. Would you mind sharing a link to one of your published books? I would love to explore your work further.
Will do AJ…
Scott, this is Wondrous! There is a rhythm in this that is highly attractive. Muchas gracias!
Ever true and so wonderfully expressed !
Another piece of who we are, and all that matters.
Thank you for sharing your vision.
Always a pleasure.
What a sincere and endearing way of expressing emotions! I like it.
Thank you, dear Scott!
Nowadays, many poets are trying to attract the attention of readers by the pointlessness and meaninglessness of their poetry. It’s a completely different matter with you! Your poems make you think.
I can talk for hours about poetry. But sometimes some things flare up with such a bright impulse when words are not needed. This is exactly the case when I read about the fineness of the rope on which you step between shame and redemption.
Inspires the audacious novelty of the concept of Pyrrhic triumph instead of Pyrrhic victory. Going deeper into our fatigue, we catch every new gust
of air, reviving our hopes…
Maybe I misunderstood something, but it seems to me that’s exactly how your poems touched my heart.
Scott says:
No misunderstanding here Maxim – exactly right…
Amazing
Astonishingly beautiful…
“Our eager spirits
Already dimmed
Too often
By notions
Of just such
A pyrrhic triumph”
The phrase ‘A pyrrhic Triumph’ did touch my soul, Scott sir;
Smilingly pinning down our hopes to live our dreams …So Right scottie sir!
What you call as apyrrhic triumph, treading our capricious life with uncertainties abound at every step…yet cannot help but smile amidst the travails of Life. 🙂
The choice is indeed ours…i.e. To flow up stream or downstream;
oscillating between Hope and despair, eventually it is our Wisdom our inner strength and resilience that navigate us through our Path…Salvaging us through our troubles, trials and tribulations
So emotively expressed!
Congratulations Once again for the sensitive portrayal of one’s Life(Our Thoughts-The Most potent energy, propelling us to move forward)
With Fond Regards
Neena
‘The air fills illicitly,
With the heady perfume of choice’.
Awesome…
The free will Vs destiny and every moment forking into possibilities.
i feel like this poem dipped me into tea. choice indeed! and so much runnig away from what i actually want! This poem really is a tightrope, stretched between the two. Nicely done, scott.
This is absolutely stellar writing, Scott! I especially resonate with; “We know ourselves/Capable of deeds/Most glorious/And most terrible too.”
You are so right that it is often a slender thread.
I was particularly struck by “A pyrrhic triumph,”
and I really love
“the heady perfume
Of choice.”
Stunning imagery Scott.
Muchlove
Beautiful ‘the cumulative Wisdom of the hesitant’ which I translate as the wisdom of ‘think before you act’ and then this amazing line ‘The air fills illicitly With the heady perfume Of choice.’
Great poem with lots of food for thought
Such a lovely culmination in that final verse!
Connoisseurs are adept at leaping into savor where convention manages a retreat from it. How wickedly pure.
Love the imagery of air filling illicitly with the perfume of choice…between glorious and terrible…
“And the cumulative
Wisdom of the hesitant”
I love that! It pervades our lives.
Poignantly written, perhaps with a wry smile sometimes, because humankind with its hesitancy of choice can be doomed to wasteful insignificance.
Well done! Life really is a tightrope for sure. The heady perfume of choice! I like that. We face it each day as we move through our lives. I like these lines as well…
Leaving behind them
Only endless echoes
Of wasteful insignificance.
Oh, this is profound. Yes, that constant tension of choices made and abandoned. So good, Scott!
Truth in your poem, Scott! Good to read you again.
Well worth a second read of this poem … Truly.
I like to think of choice as a heady perfume.
Scott, your words here breathe the essence of a time, a place, a fragrance honouring a presence of mind, and in our living.
Your expression bears the light of learned appreciation and the positivity you emote through your words.’Pivotal moments…’ most of us aspire and commit to while still others merely posture for their own reason. You truly inspire my friend.
Whilst, all the while,
The air fills illicitly
With the heady perfume
Of choice
Love the close Scott, great poem! Obviously she is close by!
Hank
A slender tightrope indeed – I was just reading a poem that referred to the “man on a wire” and how many times he walked backwards and forwards between the Twin Towers, life in the balance. A constant choosing, to keep on keeping the plates in the air, the outer appearance that holds all these dilemmas out of sight…
Great poem!
This is how our life is …seeming like insignificantly wasteful…yet with the intoxication of choices like a heady perfume
Heady perfume of choice is such an apt phrase.
Thank you Scott. How true to life and what goes on in many of our thoughts, as poets. Spot on, beautifully metaphorical with a richness of language handpicked and sensual. All the best. Susan. À très bientôt, merci infiniment.