October 2023

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By Di_Hard

Sun, 29 Oct 2023
  • 4413 reads
35 comments
 

Shame : so hard to forget

this soft word starting with a  Sh!

as of secrets, brushed under deep carpets

and A in its middle, alphabet's beginning

an inarticulate wail, of despair, horror, grief

while at the end, M, sound of gums without teeth

of babies and the very old and all of us

who take in the news, without chewing it over

digesting it into right and wrong, want to get on

with our own lives. What could we have done?

 

Do not say, infront of cameras eager for wisdom

that you speak for me! How dare you

with all your education, power, experience

of political alliances and ends justifying means

assume I, who  only feel, cannot understand!

Cannot sift from the airwaves'  measured words

cries for lost children, parents, Hope! Do not

pit one people's deaths against another's 

and call the massacre of prisoners  self defence!

It is revenge!. No good crops grow from bombs.

 

This year's storms brought down many

towering trees. I feel the moss soft trunks

where they lie across my path, their last leaves

each like a soul, piled in rustling continents; recall

walking here with my child, years ago - a two legged whirwind

tossing glorious, gold bushels to the air, dancing, rolling

shrieking joy, but I, being older, feared history

the hurt of stones  hidden underneath 

like the atrocity taking place now

Certificate U
Poem
Rant

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Another very powerful piece. Thank you for writing this Di. (and I hope the new storm coming doesn't take anymore trees)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Argh! It is awful!!! 4 more today, huge beech trees.

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

I’m sorry to hear about your trees; I’ve lost a few in storms too so I know how much it changes the landscape, and storms of that magnitude can be frightening. As for your poem, it hits the chord of humanity; picks at those who offer cold, documented facts fed over airwaves without empathy. Yes, revenge is not an answer, blankeingt bombs over innocent people, and also, attacking, kidnapping and viciously killing innocent people, equally not the answer. Sadly, diplomacy seems to be a lost art; we can only hope for its renaissance soon, and pray both sides can find peace again.

Penny4athought

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for your very kind comment Penny4athought :0) I hope you don't have any more storms this year

 

Submitted by Turlough on

This is extremely powerful writing Di.

I was sorry to hear about your trees being brought down. Nature is powerful and in time new trees will grow, possibly stronger.

In the Middle East the perpetrators of the current atrocity should bear this in mind as they inflict their terror. Anger is powerful and, even if they are virtually wiped out now (which seems to be the goal), the children and grandchildren of those who suffer and die will learn about today's war crimes and the hatred will grow again, possibly stronger.

Bullets and bombs don't end wars, they perpetuate them.

Turlough

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much, Turlough. As you say, there are young trees waiting, which is reassuring after finding familiar places changed, with broken giants and huge patches of sky like holes in fabric.
I agree, I cannot think that such a method as employed now, will have the desired effect, at all

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Certainly internal tears, grief, frustration, and deeply sick at what has happened, is happening.

I think I must say that the term 'self-defence' is used of the aim to get rid of Hamas who are committed to annihilation of Israeli civilians. And Hamas seem determined to keep the Palestinian civilians with them (or stay with civilians), not separate into open war of only combatants. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

It is lovely to hear from you, Rhiannon :0) Thankyou very much for commenting, I always appreciate your thoughts

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

This is very powerful, Di. The word shame is so exposing, the sound of it making you feel, at once ashamed. 

'It is revenge', an endless cycle of revenge. We learn it as children but as adults, with no greater powers to intervene, does it only come to an end when there is only dust to fight over.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

yes. I am very scared these are just the beginning, as populations grow while food producing land diminishes, we should be working together, the world, instead of turning on each other. Thankyou so much for your thoughtful comment, Jane

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

...and in truth, until all have peace, we have non. 

best

Lx

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much Lena. The kind of Peace where there are no voices left to argue, seems what is aimed for here

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Like the lyrics in a 1960s song said: 'What the world needs now is love sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone.'

Wouldn't it be great if we could programme all the bad people in the world to do good deeds instead of being so destructive!

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

yes :0) Trust you to make me smile Jenny :0) I guess the trouble is, no one thinks they are the bad ones!

 

Submitted by marandina on

"It is revenge!. No good crops grow from bombs."

It feels like this above line links events in the East and the storms in your beautiful part of the world. Different magnitude, of course. Not sure where it will all end now that the genie is out of the bottle. You have a way of weaving fine verse with measured indignation, Di. Powerful, of course. Well said and nicely done.

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much, Paul. A few months ago, a lady came to work in the Co Op. She was lovely, smiling, she asked if I liked cats (buying cat food) and I asked if she had one? She said she had had to leave them behind in Lebanon. These days, she does not smile. I am upset, from listening to the radio, at what is happening. I have no family there, I am not afraid of the phone and what it might tell me, every second . But so many, many are

 

Submitted by Nolan on

This is beautiul poetry Di, especially to me the last stanza, excellent imagery & very natural. I'm glad the poem was so well recieved.

Keep well & Nolan

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much Nolan! That is very kind of you to say :0) I hope you keep well, too

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

 I really like this poem Di for the many things it says! You express the shame our governments and complacent leaders should feel for their moral complacency in giving the green card to these medieval tribal revenge tactics. Do we too feel shame for choosing such inadequate leaders who it seems are not even capable of reading a history book properly? The trouble is,how do we stop them? Too late for the many more victims that need not have been!

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for your comment, David. I am very glad if it resonates with you. I think reading your pieces stirred me up to write it

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day!

Please share/retweet if you enjoy it too

picture credit: Di_Hard

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou SO MUCH! That is very kind. And Thankyou for finding and moving the photo, too :0)

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

since I was born. I checked on wiki for a list of wars around the world since the end of WW2

There are literally HUNDREDS!!! (and that only from 1945 -1989)

I gave up on the poem and I give up on humanity. 

Shame doesn't even scratch the surface. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars:_1945%E2%80%931989

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for reading, and your comment, Ed. I really hope you do tackle this subject, again. Your poem All that Glitters is brilliant! https://www.abctales.com/story/ed-crane/all-glitters-0

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This powerful and passionate piece is our Poem of the Week. Congratulations!

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very, very much, Jane!

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Really good to read a poem by you again and it doesn't disappoint. So much in it. And the warning in the last two lines is cleverly done. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Hi Catherine :0) It is lovely to hear from you! Thankyou very much for reading and your extremely kind comment! I hope you are well and your brilliant book is achieving the success it deserves

 

Submitted by Nolan on

Catherine has been at it for years now her children stories are wonderful! You need be able to think like a child, but they say it's not a flash of light it's the long slow grind & Nolan

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I agree, Nolan, Catherine's stories and poems are wonderful! I hope lots more people get to read them

 

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