From the formless waters
the totems rise skyward,
Babels and Babbitts of
commerce and
government and
academy, creating
personal and collective
suns of destiny,
deliverance and
salvation, galaxies
of monuments to
the insignificant and
it is beautiful,
for a time, until
the sunrise and sunset
are confused,
undifferentiated.
Dedicated to Darlene*
This poem is submitted to One Shot Sunday, hosted by One Stop Poetry. To see more poems submitted and an interview with photographer Scott Wyden, please visit the site.
This poem is dedicated to Darlene at Simply Darlene. If you make a donation to The High Calling during the month of May, I’ve committed to dedicate a poem to you, Just let me know via the comment box or an email that you’ve made a donation (not the amount).
Photograph by Scott Wyden. Used with permission for One Stop Poetry.
21 comments:
You capture the transient beauty of the scene, where sense of time may be lost and anything is possible. "Babels and Babbits" was my favorite line—these literary references, with nice alliteration, add great depth to your poem. Cheers.
Yeah -- what Dustus said -- yeah!
Fabulous poem that captures the photo's essence. Powerful!
"and it is beautiful for a time" indeed it is. I have enjoyed this read
These words are told in a strong poetic voice - I love the description of a modern day Babel - very on-point.
glynn...love this...the bebal reference and continued allusion to the monuments we create and trust in until...
made me think too about how we have used artificial light to extend our day and mess with the natural rhythm of life...
This has depth, love the reference to babels and babbits...
great poetry thanks for sharing
loved the confused sunset and sunrise and the formless waters and of course the babel reference...higher...better...faster and then comes the fall - very nice glynn
This is gorgeous from beginning to end!
Airy towers--but what's in them, eh. A look below the surface, and a slew of imagery for what is found that shows up in stark relief, whether the sun is rising or setting.
I especially like your concluding lines and the tellingly apt literary allusions.
It's difficult for me to comment on anything connected to this image, as the image itself has me hiss with distaste. Nothing but the sun in it beckons to me and the lack of nature has me wanting to gag. I wanted you to know that I did take the time to read, even with my revulsion at the image prompt.
The above was my initial response to let people know I was present even in my feelings. When I read again, I noticed your reference to Mabon and the building up of external things, trying to be other than our nature. Thanks for writing this.
I love what you have captured... indeed, 'it is beautiful for a time'.
Love the use of totems describing the idolatry, monuments to the insignificant ... beautiful for a time. But the confusion of sunrise and sunset grabbed me the most. What an amazing way to describe it!
LOVE the reference to babel ~ and how for a time it is pleasing even
and how the sunset and sunrise blends ~ indistinquishable ~ gets to us all ~ brilliant write Glyn ~ Lib @Libithina
the fall...and
the continual desire of man to be his own god.
researched Babbitts...Many ways to interpret this reference(I chose the metal flashing nuance) Glynn, I really like the masculine flavor injected into this...you have that "man" engineering vibe in your writing that comes out so often.
an intelligent write ... loved reading.
Totems..
Ah...
sky-scrappers
Thanks for the dedication, Glynn, you are a man of your word.
And this poem, wow, each time I read it I catch something new and recognize a different depth of understanding.
Blessings.
Bustling with edgy energy flow-piece - exemplary work.
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