Image from asiancorrespondent.com
don quixote
a retired country gentleman
a soldier for truth and justice
died this year
while fighting windmill-dreams
he was assigned to a company
of dreamers
believing that mankind could be saved
but somewhere along the line
lost his shield of faith
and so was easily forced into his grave
by insurgent corporate prostitutes
governmental goat herders
and one-way thinking priests
long before the battle had ended
his heart gave way
and could not heal
from the debt of hopes unfulfilled
and scorn of his past lovers
who promised undying love
but merely gave lethal support
quickly reaching for his purse
upon his death
finding only a daydreamer’s lint
in his ragged pockets
and so they cursed his name
as if he were the villain
not them
but that is the course of life
and history
good is met with evil
and evil
notifies the next of kin
Read Between the Minds 
A double wow, I just discovered there is sound on your blog. I read the poem and then listened to your reading … great stuff!
impressive as usual Martin, I love this don quixote fantasy story.The way you delivered and read this story is lovely .well done sir.
You never cease to surprise me. Being a Don Quixote worshipper, I couldn’t help but look and am glad I did. Beautifully built.
“evil notifies the next of kin”… the whole piece is wonderfully done, and that last line is like the nail in the coffin… (in a good way)
Ahhh. . . the loss of dreams and hope. Very moving.
Love it! Favorite line: “died this year/ while fighting windmill-dreams.” I also really like the ending. The poem has whimsical and surreal undertones which I am fond of. Great post!
I really love this…
I love your work – measured and controlled but heartfelt and with real power. Strong stuff.
Nice one. I like this.
Being a Don Quixote fan, this hit home with me. The lethal support surrounds many of us, we battle and hope not to lose faith.
The windmill line and the last line also will stick with me for some time. Awesome poetry.
Sounds kind of like “Don Quixote:The Existential Version” Amazing. I like when you write poems like this one because the elements of wit and humor seem to balance the harsh realities with a quality degree of levity. That image is mesmerizing, especially the “nose-arm.” Well done.
http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/brian-and-tara-miller-u-rock-14th-anniversary-celebration-post/
please visit Brian to wish his 14th marriage annivesary.
Thanks a lot!
and the next of kin got to pay the death tax
and so it goes…
nice my friend
dang. that was good. i wonder how many don quixotes have fallen prey…
very nice. we covered don quixote pretty extensively in my literature course this past semester. love the way the battle between realism and idealism in don quixote is reflected in your poem. especially in the audio version.
very lyrical poem, full of great images. You’ve done it again, Martin, bravo!
1. I now believe fervently that you are intellectually incapable of writing substandard crap
2. The last five lines are darkly funny and unfortunately true.
3. Thank you for this poem, enriched with vitamin slpmartin. 🙂
Powerful.
insurgent corporate prostitutes. I love it- the poem- the way you build to a very witty and powerful ending. Thanks, Sue
i loved it. hi, it’s mytheleni. i’m organizing my blog right now. thank you for reading my past posts. hope you’ll still follow me here in my new blog. 🙂 hope you dont mind if ill add you to my blog roll for the second time 🙂
We both wrote poems and attendant pics with windmills a day after each other!
A couple months ago, I came across a website, from Southeast Asia, maybe Thai, and they posted an inspirational poem many had heard at a gathering recited by a religious, or spiritual or inspiring political leader. They assumed it was written by him, and commenters told of how inspiredthey had been.
It was “The Impossible Dream”. The blogger and none of the posters had any idea. I told them, posted a video of Richard Kiel singing it, from the show. I lost track of it, now sure how they would understand or react to it, out if its cultural context.
BTW, the photo on my blog is not of the view I see, biking down the river, toward the Naval Park and the harbor, the windmills standing almost parallel along your line of sight, past them maybe 2 miles away, white against the blue of the sky and the water. It is a much more stunning view.
This picture is so intriguing; I love it and as always the thoughts you express and share with us. Heartspell
Fantastic!
I liked these two sections
“his heart gave way
and could not heal
from the debt of hopes unfulfilled
and scorn of his past lovers
who promised undying love”
and the
” good meets with evil
Evil notifies next of kin”
Well done !! Keep it up!
You’ve paired a great piece of art with a fabulous piece of poetry.
This is great! I particularly enjoy the wryness of the closing lines.
Don Quixote for president… or the pen-listener who tells it like it is. This is among the best poetry I’ve seen for quite some time… kudos to you.
1. I love the story of Don Quixote, and the painting you inserted is legit.
2. “the debt of hopes unfulfilled” is fantastic. I loved that line so much I re-read it a few times to let it soak