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| RAD Stainforth via Magpie Tales |
Pan for gold, pan for your supper
pan reeds grow by the Banks (of the river)
my violin saws Charles Ingalls
soft, like feathered wings of angels
walls of an abandoned building read,
those that complain about this generation,
forget the ones that raised them
& there will be no raises this year, blame the economy
un-conscience, a constellation called selective memory
when fallen stars are where you base your astrology
peek through broken homes windows at heaven,
see the super moon (jokes on you) before someone pants it
eye witness news is all about perspective
takes a detective to decipher difference between simple truths
tied in knots to make complex lies & campaign promises
made to hungry kids at a birthday party happy to break the pinata
& find broccoli instead of the same teeth rotting candy
crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over,
wisdom is the river, rolling round rock
all ways seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean
pan for gold, pan for your supper
Pan laughs as he dances by the Banks (of the water)
written for Magpie Tales
Note: The local Christian University has a certain Mormon presidential candidate as their key note for graduation next weekend. Don't worry they sent out a press release to say it was not political.
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99 comments:
so much to like, of course. my fav: crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over, wisdom is the river, rolling round rock all ways seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean.
it takes a darn good detective. you effortlessly find unseen places worth visiting.
quite timely - well thought out and written.
peek through broken homes windows at heaven,
see the super moon (jokes on you) before someone pants it
eye witness news is all about perspective....Love this!
Broccoli over candy you say
And no raises would cause many dismay
But then again they go round and round
Acting like they are oh so profound
Not political...right
Instead just some sort of plight
I like *wisdom is the river, rolling round rock always seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean*
Love the photo too.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Brian...the best! I love it and the thoughts within this. It rolls just like a river and this river is as you have written...there is by it actually a large once beautiful building ...now derilect and abandoned. Quite a prophetic one this! Thankyou
First and last two lines encase this perfectly.
=)
Pan laughs by the Banks (not of the water) as well.
Enjoyed this. Crazy times. Things not panning out so well for many! K.
I can think of naught better than dancing with Pan! :)
As always, your write is amazing!
I have to agree with Ed, those lines are my fav. too
As for me, I truly love the LAST stanza!
As for me, I truly love the LAST stanza!
I would to think as I look at a river that it might hold some positive wisdom within it, mainly when it's still and the undercurrent is not. Great line. and so much power in it.
http://leah-jamielynn.typepad.com/blog/
A wonderful poem about the river of life with different currents, but at the end of the day all the water ends up in the sea.
i like how you weave through events both current and not so current, and connect things together, some connected some not, Charles Ingels and the violin, to this river in England, for example...basically this is like a weave
And you, dear Brian, are Pan Fried! Good imagery as usual... :-)
Broccoli in pinatas? What has the world come to? I hear ya on this, Brian... especially like:
crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over,
wisdom is the river, rolling round rock
all ways seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean
So many great lines in this, I wonder how many would stop bashing the pinata if it did have broccoli in it and not candy... lol
A lot of great lines here:
"my violin saws Charles Ingalls
soft"
"when fallen stars are where you base your astrology"
"peek through broken homes windows at heaven, see the super moon (jokes on you)"
"simple truths tied in knots to make complex lies"
"wisdom is the river, rolling round rock"
clever ending with a nod to mythology (and probably a bit of Peter Pan, Daddy) ... "Pan laughs as he dances by the Banks (of the water)" ... noted parenthetical change from "river" to "water"; effective capitalization of "Banks"
This is a great way to express that we don't always get what we expect, in politics, relationships, life, pinatas, etc.: "happy to break the pinata & find broccoli instead of the same teeth rotting candy"
rosemarymint.wordpress.com
yes, every day we must crawl to the edge of what we think and throw ourselves over. especially as poets.
i feel like a broken record, but wow, another fabulous write!
Ed pulled out my favorite lines--that and the graffiti about forgetting who raised them--sometimes you just blow me away, brian, with what your mind can find to write about, and how smoothly you turn a phrase over the most difficult, often painful subjects. This is a fine poem.
"pan for gold, pan for your supper
Pan laughs as he dances by the Banks (of the water)" Just perfect, Brian, just perfect. Excellent write.
Pamela
Love those lines: "takes a detective to decipher difference between simple truths tied in knots to make complex lies and campaign promises"!! Oh, how to cut through all the crap???!!!
The river takes the easy path and we would do well to emulate it.
Or follow Pan.
rel
Ok...trying again. You had me at "Rolling Rock"...on second thought I may have misinterpreted...but after having a few I don't care. Scalpel-like commentary. Good job. Vb
I keep hoping they really think they are doing the right thing, and just don't realize the truth.
Love that last line ... you say it all effortlessly!
"when fallen stars are where you base your astrology"
I really love that.
very cool. Like the connections throughout the poem, really feeding off what was just written. And then wrapping around again to the start at the end. Great job. Thanks
I enjoy reading this, though not quite understanding what violin saws Charles Ingalls means. Brian, Ron Paul is winning delegates, so it may not be over till it is over.
Oh yes, Charles Ingalls playing the violin is coming back to me. This poem is beautiful, couple with the image, it evokes conscience.
Crawl to the edge of what you think and throw yourself over.
Aside from me not believing that a college could have a presidential candidate there and NOT be political, I think of HOW the way you speak will be a way that your teenage sons will be able to understand and never forget all the wisdom you already have.
You're changing the world, Brian..by bringing up children to know WHAT we are supposed to be doing with our time here.
I loved this.
I wonder if the world seemed this deep in the mud a century ago? Probably. I love how you designed your images to flow seamlessly one to another, in this convoluted slice of life. Insightful, Brian. Thank you. =D
Amazing, quite real for today as well...now excuse me but I'm off to pan for some gold !
So much in this one, Brian... Love it. Lots of truths in here. :)
Lovely all through, this interpretation of an equally lovely image, but what I think I enjoyed most was the priceless moment at the end - "(of the water)"! Wonderful to think of Pan dancing round my High Street bank! Thanks for that
Rolling philosophy! I found it hard to find a 'best bit' 'cause every segment was good, nay, fantastic.
We both speak to wisdom today from different directions.
So (ha ha ha) how was your candidates speech. Isn't it odd how even the "Christian hierarchy" at a "Christian University" can blatantly lie and call it the truth?
I say, withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy. Well, I didn't actually come up with them.
I see the abandoned buildings, the hungry kids at the birthday party- all broken campaign promises. The refrain of plan for gold, pan for your supper is very effective..like a campaign slogan. But yours is much better to swallow this morning ~
Expect the unexpected.
You working on Ballads ?
wouldn't take much!(start humming and strumming-)
Have been working weekends
don't know when I will
be able to re-engage.
Too many great lines to list...but I will say the broccoli was a fave, as was the bit about the supermoon, which my boys and I tried desperately to see, but it continued to be obscured by cloud cover...just like politics...don't look to hard behind the curtain unless you're willing to know what you don't want to see...
Tina @ Life is Good
I agree, expect the unexpected!
Yep, the last stanza is my fav too. Beautiful, Brian.
this is a song waiting for the music-and I especially like the last two lines.
Just one question; in the line
"see the super moon (jokes on you) before someone pants it"
did you means pants or paints?
Either way this is so great!
eye witness news is all about perspective
This is the truth, my friend. There is no reality. :)
Finding broccoli in a pinata would be a sin for sure.
Ha!
I loved traveling down your river.
Hugs
SueAnn
I see I'm not the only one, but the line that made me go "oh!" was this one: crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over... I like that a lot. Wonder if I can do it?
Not political, sure. I enjoyed many lines here, esp the ones about "tooth rotting candy" Great verse. smiles, brian!
Oh, very clever word work here, but not just clever. Still, I don't know any kids who would be happy with broccoli from a pinata... just sayin'
I'm always so impressed when I read your writing. You'd think I'd get used to it. But, you just have such a way, such a distinct manner of saying things, and find so much to say about things that are pertinent. I like so many lines in this, poetic and to the point.
A non-political speech by a political candidate. Really?
Ooooo! LOVE the Pan twist at the end.
And this line:
"my violin saws Charles Ingalls
soft"
This brings deep waves of home, comfort, nostalgia for this wanna-be prairie girl of the 70's and early 80's. :)
de
whimsygizmo.wordpress.com
Edgy writing - love it!
oh!! gorgeous words...love 'crawl to the edge of what you think and throw yourself over'..in fact love it all!!
ha..it never is political..right..? nor is your poem..smiles...really like how you wove the message in..hate all those lies and false promises but honestly (at least over here in germany) the youth has been more critical in the past than they are now...for my taste they swallow all too much of the broccoli or even dead mice the politicians serve, dusted with a sugar icing...
yes, it does take a detective ... such a well thought through poem rant ... I love its cynical wit ...
yes, it does take a detective ... such a well thought through poem rant ... I love its cynical wit ...
Interesting write...I like the repetition of the first stanza at the end...
I think we should crawl to the edge daily for wisdom. If we go about our lives being blindly led we will surely regret it!
A little chaos roiling under that current, eh?
Sometimes I just wish I was little again and could go splashing in mud puddles. No cares.
Oh it's political alright. He's running for office, so how could it not be?
You have quite the knack of drawing from one point to the next Brian. Each stanza pulls from the last - except in the case of broccoli. Which I personally think is unfair, as it isn't so bad a veg ;)
I pan for gold every time I'm up in the Yukon ...
Beware of Pan and his nymph-chasing ways....
"those that complain about this generation,forget the ones that raised them"
No man is an island, certainly Brian! We don't see why one needs to blame others. Great write!
Hank
Gorgeous start to incandescent verse, greatly enjoyed it. 'crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over' needs to be my new motto :).
'when fallen stars are where you base your astrology'. I think I just panned me a nugget!
Love the comment on Mitt and agree with your intimation; when was any religion not political!?
I'd rather follow Pan than find broccoli in my pinata.
It's not political...yeah right.
Good one.
"When fallen stars is where you base your astrology" is a very good line. Wow.
BTW, I could never figure out why the Ingalls left the Wisconsin Woods to endure hardship on the prairie. That would be like me moving to Saskatchewan. haha
The feeling of current washes throughout your true 'gold nugget' here!
This is vibrant with metaphorical brilliance! A really powerful poem. It has a lyrical quality that reminds me of a Levellers song! Very cool! Enjoyed hon xoxo
"crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over,
wisdom is the river, rolling round rock
all ways seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean"
Love this verse!
Have said before, worth saying again, love how you catch what's "current" and bring so much to light in your writing. This line caught me today:
"...& find broccoli instead of the same teeth rotting candy."
On local news tonight learned they're thinking of banning Bakes Sales as fundraisers in some schools, as they think it will cut back on childhood obesity. Yeah, maybe for any kids that buy their lunches at bake sales *said sarcastically*. In the meantime, teams and other school groups will just have to find another way to get funding for those extras that the school budgets don't cover. Whatever happened to "parental responsibility" on teaching your kids to eat properly. Your writing always makes me think, Brian. Great stuff, my friend!
(Hoping not to sound like spelling police, S4 - "before someone pants it" or maybe "paints it"?)
"Wisdom is the river", and it flows through this wonderful stream of consciousness..
Stellar.
Yep, no raises this year...or last year...or the year before that....
I agree with Sue: First and last two lines encase this perfectly.
"crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over..." - I love this line. It's all good, but that line really spoke to me. I may have to make a sampler...
actually its supposed to be PANTS...playing off the MOONing as you peek out the window...smiles....
I like the subtle rhythm. Lots of good images, but I like the constellation one best. It's like the word was made for that metaphor.
wisdom is the river, rolling round rock" -Amen
And a presidential candidate not being political 7 months before the election, no way!
The piper must be paid
Your ability to play with words just gets more and more impressive.
"crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over," NICE!
Um the university and the pres candidate... EVERYTHING is political. As you know :)
yea buddy, the broccoli bit...uhhh, just cruel.....I think Zamfir would be jealous of your Pan-ning
I am almost back....
Peace
"Pan for gold, pan for your supper
pan reeds grow by the Banks (of the river)my violin saws Charles Ingalls
soft, like feathered wings of angels..."
Hi! Brian...
Tks, for sharing your very thought-provoking poetic words and the [very beautiful] image too!
deedee ;-D
Great poetry, and you always make me think. Love the last two lines.
crawl to the edge of what you think & throw yourself over,
wisdom is the river, rolling round rock
all ways seeking to re-join greater communion of the ocean
YEAH!! Love this, Brian! Solid piece.
heavy duty pinata, "simple truths
tied in knots to make complex lies & campaign promises..." -
powerful work worth reading brian, thanks!
Mormonism is the new black I guess.
"my violin saws Charles Ingalls." Man, I love that line. : )
My violin is a genuine Walmart model. Made in China. It is one of the OLD ones...2003. Just kidding!
Brian, I had not a clue that everything was not absolutely PRFEKT.
Whatever you did, thank you...a LOT!
Love this, Brian. You are getting too clever, lol! This one is wonderful! Not sure if I've already had my say. Sorry, if I have.
You have out done yourself Brian! So much truth in this and spoken like no other before! I love it!!
Loved Wisdom is a river. I thought this poem had a nice cadence. Beautiful.
A worthy tribute to Pan...
Sorry for arriving so late; recovering from an arduous nursing of a sick cat - just getting my enthusiasm and energy back now.
I like the way you've written this - without the punctuation and mimicking the movement of the river. That broccoli-line really stands out for me, but then I'm kinda hungry right now.
Like broccoli but not more than candy; has been source of expansion...
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