Before the ways of the pretentious Became the way of the shaman The belief in thyself was looked down upon Like the confession of a killer In the eyes of a hero
The pedestal is made of gravel That falls from beneath the gates of heaven To furnish the devil's playground Like meteors in their own right
The pebbles turn to sand And find solace boxed in By the wood of those who have drifted
©2014 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.for Open Link Night @ d'Verse Poets
34 comments:
really intriguing progression in this one anthony...i have a fear of pedestals...they are too easy to fall from...smiles...belief in yourself...without it what do you have....well i guess you are lost to the devils playground eh?
I think everyone's pedestals eventually crumble and turn into gravel and then sand. And I do hope that some way solace is found at the end of the journey....for everyone. Wondering if the 'boxed in wood' is a coffin.
I love the sentiment.. I got to think about the overzealousness of the narcissistic ideas of today.. and indeed we might actually be standing on top of crumbling pedestals - looking skyward as we sink into the pebbles six foot under.
read this several times and love how everything flows stanza to stanza and influences what comes next... the whole pedestal - gravel - sand image is cool
woot - looking forward to your hosting tonite!
So thought-provoking Anthony.. and how the gravel sifts to sand and blows away.. I love the way you have explored this idea of shifting ideologies and the supremacy of 'I'. The only certainty .. I think.. is drift :)
Haha..well there's no chance i'll ever be on a pedestal.. that fate i seal myself..but faith in myself will lead away from sand boxed outside instead of dust floating in the wind...
But anyway..i love your words here as they lead to
contemplation
like this...
as such....:)have a great Summer 2!
"The pedestal is made of gravel
That falls from beneath the gates of heaven"
What incredible lines. This poem is very intriguing, Anthony. Loved it.
I really love how this builds on that one simple word: dust. and that last line is killer. a really tight, well-woven poem.
This poem makes one think about what is important... Well done!
Every pedestal has shattered and everyone has drifted. A majestic tone to the poem, dark. Something to read several times in a row.
Depends on the perspective, depends on beliefs...we all fall into dust & sandbox in the end ~ I like the contrast (pretentious/shaman, killer/hero) ~ Have a lovely weekend ~
Grace
so, i guess you will not be watching tele-evangelists tomorrow morning. I find a lot of truth in your words, or at least a lot I agree with. Well done.
Drift wood and dusty boxes of gravelly sand seem to be on a shore where tides no longer play, where thirst must reign instead of the gentle rain of mercy. Heavy stuff!.
This poem has such depth. It's quite a commentary on today's attitudes. But, hopefully, some don't need a pedestal. It's good to stand on our own.
Found my self thinking how the hero, shaman, I, the pedestal, gravel, the tree, and the box holding solace - all have their time as dust - the almighty equalizer of the eye, any it and I.
Everybody can potentially fall from a pedestal since we are all humans after all. Therefore it is probably better not to put anyone up there and avoid downfalls and disappointments.
Seriously stretching and ambitious work Anthony that reaches deep... Loved your last stanza especially:
"The pebbles turn to sand
And find solace boxed in
By the wood of those who have drifted" Great stuff - seriously good... Thanks for a great read With Best Wishes Scott www.scotthastie.com
Daaaamn. Powerful as always, Anthony. I had to re-read it a couple times. I could see the second two stanzas stand complete as its own poem, but maybe that's me. Strong work my friend.
Being put on a pedestal gives the impression one is blessed with noble thoughts and noble intentions. So much so people will look up to one's own. Certainly not easy to reach such levels. Powerful write Anthony!
Hank
Great work Anthony - the hubris that comes before the fall. I agree, quite powerful.
A pedestal can be a dangerous place to be put on..as it can be a long hard fall ..I read this a couple of times as I wanted to understand the view. You write from an interesting perspective.
An intriguing poem, far more complex than is immediately obvious. I've done a bit of research into shamans, so know something of their outsider status - very often, they were epileptics finding a way to handle their fits in a positive manner. I'll have to reread this several times and interpret it slightly differently each time. I love the flow it has to it.
I prefer my feet to be firmly on the ground. Pedestals can be corrupting to those who feel themselves to be above us ordinary motrals! Good poem.
Yes, the ground is best. Having been burned once and deeply by a few people who set themselves up (and yes, I am angry at myself for believing in them), feet on the ground and following my gut instinct is the way for me. Very well written, Anthony.
This builds, we all turn to dust in the end. Pedestals are not a good place to be, too easy to fall from. An intense poem, Anthony.
do love the play on words with wood/drift... is sense hope in the sadness... also loved the contrast in many of the lines
I love this line: "The pedestal is made of gravel" and the final stanza.
A winner, brother, a strong message poetic, no F-words in sight, the creative anger well managed; very impressive; showing there is a hell of lot more to your poet's spectrum than protest, or rancor.
its only faith in self that leaves footprints of legends...much for the solace of others to derive courage!
Ha - I too come here thinking wonder how many f-bombs - which is a discredit to a really strong writer. Probably just reflects on how the times have passed me by.
we need heroes - but attack them so harshly. Perhaps the gravel slides when one becomes inconsistent in how they live. Really like your work.
particularly drawn to the imagery in the 2nd and 3rd stanzas ~
Great symbols. The title is just perfect.
Wow this is very intense and I like the idea of the pedestal almost being a mirage. Very nicely done.
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