I forgive pylons that march across fields
where once glaciers sculpted valleys,
horses plodded down stone-walled lanes
and everything travelled by hoof and foot.
I forgive the engines that puffed their smoke
into the heaviness of time with dark intention
and a constant soundtrack of stridulation
against a sky the colour of congealed blood.
I blame greed and speculation
for the blight on civilisation,
the constant pressure from those with power,
the polished boot that presses faces into mud.
Kim M. Russell, 26th February 2019
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: Blame and Forgiveness, also linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Tuesday Platform
Frank is our host for this week’s poetics and he tells us that he found M. Scott Peck’s Further Along the Road Less Traveled in a used bookstore a few weeks ago. He says it’s been a challenge to read and that one of the chapters is about blame and forgiveness – our prompt for today.
very well written
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Thank you, Maureen.
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That polished boot… really a strong image, but you cannot blame pylons
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I quite like pylons – they are so much like giants! I’m not so keen on polished boots.
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A very sensible and ethical attitude, Kim. I wouldn’t blame pylons either, but I’d pull them all down anyway 🙂
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🙂
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This is powerful Kim, and all driven by greed, by averice, by ego!
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Thank you, Rob!
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But do we forgive the politicians who refuse to do anything about it?
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Good question!
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“I blame greed and speculation for the blight on civilisation,” .. sigh .. you and me both, Kim! Such an evocative write! ❤️
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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Nice phrase “heaviness of time with dark intention”. What’s heavy and dark holds us down.
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Cheers Frank.
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How beautiful your poem…”the color of congealed blood,”…and “polished boots, that press faces into mud.”
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Thank you, Annell.
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Wow, this one bellows with stentorian tones! The close of the second stanza is killer. This is so much more than a mere rant.
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Thank you, Glenn!
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One never knows the underlying goings on that manipulates the system for their own gain. The workers are simply pawns on the chessboard. Well stated Kim.
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Thanks Dwight.
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“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever. ”
― George Orwell, 1984
I happened to see this today, and it seemed so apposite. You don’t usually write such angry poems, Kim. I like it.
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Thanks Sarah!
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It is a challenge to balance progress with being responsible for the consequences to nature and our lives. But I blame greed too for pushing us to the boundaries of disasters & killing some of our creatures.
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I hope the balance is tipped soon, towards a responsible, caring future.
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Oh I do love the last line. A picture of our civilisation as it is today… so tragic.
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Thanks Viv.
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🙂
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Progress is a double-edged sword – very nicely illustrated Kim.
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Thank you, V.J.
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So welcome.
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This is really well done, Kim. You approach the topic of forgiveness and blame and our ever degrading planet in a forth right and earnest way. And those last lines work really well to spell out who the real villains are. Kudos!
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Thank you so much, Izy!
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What an interesting choice of subject matter for forgiveness. I really applaud your individuality on this!
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Thank you so much, Violet!
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someone once mentioned to me that the two world wars were financially motivated, reading your poem makes me think it might be true. so much for wanting a better live, when we trample those weaker and forsake our own humanity for the sake of progress. your middle stanza is brilliant, reminds me of Nikolas Tesla deep in the Appalachian woods testing his theories for the mas men of industry. I found this very raw and deep Kim, one of your strongest to me.
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Thank you, Gina
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Oh, this is so well done — I was at once taken aback by this assertive tone, which makes for a brutally honest perspective of all that has been wrought by the ills of human greed and lust for power and control.
I loved how you evoke the senses here; I can hear, smell, and see it all at once: “and a constant soundtrack of stridulation/against a sky the colour of congealed blood.”
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Thank you so much, Anmol, for your thoughtful comments and appreciation.
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Your theme brings something of Blake to mind those dark satanic mills, to which you have brought a 21st century voice.
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Thank you, Kerry. Dark satanic pylons don’t have quite the same ring to them.
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Greed–one of the worst and most deadly of sins.(K)
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So true.
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Oh, I love this, and your ending is perfect!!
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Thank you, Susie!
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Such truth in your words … and, by the way, thank you for teaching me a new one — stridulation sent me to the dictionary!
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Thanks Bev. Once a teacher always a teacher!
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That last line brought to mind scenes of WW2- so powerful Kim.
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Thank you, Linda.
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Forgiving the obvious to better curse the less visible but more sinister cause!
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