A Ghazal
We call out through the dimness—Revelation
Words of old, communicable dreams—Revelation
Our elders, forsworn from such heresy as
we now dare, held strict by real belief,
never wished for such terrors as we—Revelation
The stoic masses, shoulders flexed against
the dreaming weight of soil, tilled under
with the brimstone of their churches,
held silent against the terrors of the pit—Revelation
The dry land and the blowing dust, made yet
drier for the fear of rum and those terrible
acts it might bring, that truth of our baser
nature coming free and allowing us to
become our ugly selves—for these things
we must save ourselves against, they said—Revelation
For laughter at the hellfire and pandemonium,
daring ourselves against fairytales of fiery
dragons upon the mantle of burning clouds,
of wrathful fathers with eyes like embers
come to purify all we enjoy, those looser
deeds that made us and nourished our
passing into legend, we call—Revelation
And now, those dismal folk who toil,
dirty-handed towards the world’s ending,
hoping for renunciation and release from
the insoluble problems of their own creation,
they speak of end times and omens, of the
bath of holy flame that acts as salvation for
those painted too tightly into a corner by their
own well-dressed nihilism, they pray—Revelation
3 comments:
Ooooh, I liked the ominous feel of this one. And it was creepy AND terrifying. Two things I aspire to be on a daily basis.
As always- amazing.
Careful Firehawk. Only certain tel-evangelists are qualified to interpret revelation, and your not one of them. Though we live in a free and pluralistic society I fear that Pat Robertsons' religion police will be knocking at your door. They'll haul your butt off for realignment training – just like happens in Saudi Arabia. But don't worry, it'll be for your own good – they have your best interest at heart. Really.
Thought provoking and appropriate for these self-righteous times.
Brales,
Glad you liked it. I find the transformation of mainstream religions into doomsday cults very ominous. But hey, I guess we all have to hope for something...
Erin,
You give yourself too little credit. You're miles ahead of me in the age vs. understanding area. I wasn't capable of even addressing good poetry at 19 or 20, I don't think. Don't discourage yourself. Your poetry is already very highly evolved. As I told Ken a while back, we all have our skill-set, and we use it to the best effect we can. You bring a strong and detailed vision to your work.
Swiftboat,
If I stop posting, and my site goes down all of a sudden, you'll know they've caught up with me and sent me to the re-education camps. Until then, I'll happily plow along with my dissident views and craven ways.
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