sacrifice of the wicked….

 

A Classic Art Challenge:  Here we are at the final round of another poetry challenge between my good friend  Jade and myself. This time, the writing has been prompted by five paintings, ranging from classical to modernist. We hope you have enjoyed this as much as we have!

Today’s painting is:  The Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio

who is this god
of yours
that continues
to ask
that our youth
be sent into battle
as if
merely casting
sand into the eyes of death
is your god
so weak
that the strength
of mortal men
is needed to defend
his heavenly fortress
is this sacrifice
for a god
or men
men who have made
a god
in their
own image

unsolicited denial…

A Classic Art Challenge:  Just as I had recovered from my last challenge with Jade, a new writing adventure has been embarked upon..Jade has sent me five paintings which are to serve as the prompts for this challenge.  Since I substituted an extra Philosophy course for Art Appreciation, this may prove to be far more difficult for me than the previous challenges.  However, I have accepted her challenge and managed to find five paintings to send her in return.  We hope you enjoy our poetry.

 

The Disquieting Muses (1918) by Giorgio De Chirico

my muse
grasps my hand
pulling me
away from the plaza
saying
these muses
are not of the nine
we must leave
before we lose our song
for they are the spirits
of the lost souls
who stared into the abyss
they were born
long before time began
before men counted
their fleeting moments
on this earth
given form again by the drums of war
and the insatiable greed of men
they have returned
to claim their place
among us
as we turned
to leave
one of the muses spoke
saying
here is your
holy roman empire
an empty plaza
filled with muses
that inspire
the nothingness of the abyss
here your glowing expectations
are mere embers
lying outside
the gates of hades
your change-the-world attitude
has become quiet acceptance
but
before I could hear more
my muse had pulled
me safely
into my dreams

 

whatever…

Image by CWMartin

do not mistake
my indifference
for an emotion
it is not
it’s quite the oppsite
of an emotion
it is neither hate
nor love
for if i loved you
i would defend you
and it i hated you
i would fight you
but i am
indifferent to you
so you
do not exist

 

Point-Counter Point Challenge:  For those of you have been following the challenges between Jade and I, you are aware that several challenges have taken place over the course of the last few months.  This time, the challenge was to be initiated by me and I decided to change the rules a little…well a lot.  Here’s how it works this time.  Each poet provides the other poet with  five quotations that must be addressed from the opposite point of view as the original quote. Here is the final quote that Jade provided to me:  “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”  – Elie Wiesel

unavoidable…

with every breath
you take
world suffering
fills your being
there is
no hiding place
the shots fired
piercing the flesh
of your love one
pouring
hot molten misery
into your veins
even behind
your locked doors
of indifference
came from the hand
of human suffering
there is
no hiding place
though you divert
your eyes
from the tortured souls
that spot your city’s streets
you cannot sweep away
their image in your mind
that fosters the fear
that keeps your
doors locked and barred
making every sound
in the night
reverberate loudly
causing you to sweat
and toss from side to side
inside your sheltered enclave
of denial
there is
no hiding place
like the quaking of the earth
human suffering cannot be ignored
it moves the very foundation
of every world community
its frigid winds
swirl into your life
finding you
as easily
as death

Point-Counter Point Challenge:  For those of you have been following the challenges between Jade and I, you are aware that several challenges have taken place over the course of the last few months.  This time, the challenge was to be initiated by me and I decided to change the rules a little…well a lot.  Here’s how it works this time.  Each poet provides the other poet with  five quotations that must be addressed from the opposite point of view as the original quote. Here is the fourth quote that Jade provided to me:  “You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.” – Franz Kafka

what to ignore…

which color
of the rainbow
should i ignore
if i am to see beauty
which prophet
of the word
should i ignore
if i am to seek wisdom
which child
of the world
should i ignore
if i am to serve humanity
all knowledge
begins with perception
to limit perception
is to limit knowledge

Point-Counter Point Challenge:  For those of you have been following the challenges between Jade and I, you are aware that several challenges have taken place over the course of the last few months.  This time, the challenge was to be initiated by me and I decided to change the rules a little…well a lot.  Here’s how it works this time.  Each poet provides the other poet with  five quotations that must be addressed from the opposite point of view as the original quote. Here is the third quote that Jade provided to me:   “The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.” – Rumi

love is hell…

it is not the lack of love
in the human heart
that brings one
to styx’s shores
but
love
love is the tormentor
bringing into one’s life
hopelessness and suffering
when unrequited
and sorrow and destruction
when it departs
the heart
and even when
shared between two
it is
a passion
that cannot
be quenched
by a single touch
unsatisfied desires reign
day and night
in the souls
of the young lovers
and with age
those who truly love
find no rest
from its burning passion
it is
a bottomless pit
this thing called
love

 

Point-Counter Point Challenge:  For those of you have been following the challenges between Jade and I, you are aware that several challenges have taken place over the course of the last few months.  This time, the challenge was to be initiated by me and I decided to change the rules a little…well a lot.  Here’s how it works this time.  Each poet provides the other poet with  five quotations that must be addressed from the opposite point of view as the original quote. Here is the second quote that Jade provided to me: “What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love”  Fyodor Dostoyevsky

die laughing…

Point-Counter Point Challenge:  For those of you have been following the challenges between Jade and I, you are aware that several challenges have taken place over the course of the last few months.  This time, the challenge was to be initiated by me and I decided to change the rules a little…well a lot.  Here’s how it works this time.  Each poet provides the other poet with  five quotations that must be addressed from the opposite point of view as the original quote.  So here we go…here is the first quote that Jade provided to me:  “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” Oscar Wilde

die laughing…

the thin veneer
of laughter
disguised the crowds intent
for before this day
would be done
the poison of hatred
would pierce their skins
and flow like
quicksilver
into their veins
and they would
be transformed
into a mob
a serpent without a head
no logic nor reason
nor sense of right or wrong
just the urge to kill
to rise up against
the humor of reality
and grasp the throat
of truth
until its breath
is no more
and the deed
of murder
would be done
and truth
would have died
laughing

the watchmen waketh…

 

beneath the earth
the army of the dead
move in unison
to the rolling pitch
of the underground train
marching to the surface
passing the roach infested
dark alleys of shadow people
the ones who beg for alms
as the hollow souls scurry past
the army must stay its course
headed for their burial abodes
crypts of glass and polished steel
for they have bartered their souls
for transient wealth and fame
a bloodless coup of a nation
where only pleasures of the flesh
are considered worthy
but at night
curtains drawn
flickering news stories
of the anger
of those who sought alms
makes every shadow
move independently
on the walls
a creeping fear
that makes even
the dead
turn
in their
graves 

 

This poem represents my final response to  the third challenge series between Jade and I.  This challenge is somewhat different in that the prompt is now an audio prompt.  Each poet provides the other with five instrumental songs (so that the song’s words do not interefere with the poet’s) from which the poet is to write a poem.  Jade has written her first response which can be found here. 

conquistadors…

in the harbor
a black ship
sails toward shore
the new land
the americas
below the decks
crimson warriors
satan’s own
wearing crosses of white
we see them come ashore
so many men
with strange dress
metal arms and heads
weapons that flash
like thunder
killing without a single
blow of the axe
elders tell us to flee
but we the young eagles
say we shall fight
for our sacred ground
for freedom
for all that the gods
have given us
but
rocks burst open
the blood of our nation
pours from each stone
of the village
flames consume
the living
and the dead
waves of fear
cover all who stand
before these beasts
our gods
have forsaken us
our gold
our freedom
our land
raped
by
messengers
of a
foreign
god
who
came
to
save
our
souls

This poem represents my fourth response to  the third challenge series between Jade and I.  This challenge is somewhat different in that the prompt is now an audio prompt.  Each poet provides the other with five instrumental songs (so that the song’s words do not interefere with the poet’s) from which the poet is to write a poem.  Jade has written her first response which can be found here. 

deimos inn…

Final Challenge Image from Jade

  

with the lights on
there is nothing to fear
this is just another hotel room
a place for
an itinerate soul to visit
everything seems in place
but
when the lights are off
this place becomes a prison
nothing is where it’s supposed to be
the floor
is quicksand beneath my feet
the door has bars of anger
holding back my freedom
my thoughts rattle
around the room
seeking a familiar corner
the air is foul
and
stale with formality
my misery
has no place to hide
it cannot find
a warm spot to rest
so it paces
back and forth
in my mind
refusing to rest
until the dawn
when i release it outside
where it can run away from me
and swing in the trees
with childish expectations
but it is hours
before dawn
so i sit alone
with the lights
on

This poem represents my last response to  the second challenge series between Jade and I.  As you may recall, each poet provides the other with a series of photos, visual prompts,  from which the poet is to write a poem.  Jade has written her response which can be found here.