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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

it's winter...

by human being

illustration by rhoda penmarq




.

no wind
no rain
no snow
a long cold dry season
lasting a lifetime

they say people soon get used to things
they say people soon forget
but i got used to not getting used to
and i forgot to forget
i still remember the hopeful mountains of my city:
they used to walk with me everyday
before they disappeared in the smog
i still remember the sincere eyes of the people of my city:
they used to talk to me everyday
before they disappeared in the dark
i still remember who i am
and where to go
but no one believes me when i tell the truth
or when i say each step makes a difference
they have forgotten that caring is sharing
that sharing is all
they look at me strangely when i stop to watch the crows
or when i treat the street cats to some food
smiling at children is considered a waste of time
writing poetry a good way to kill time!
pens are mostly used to write shopping lists
books are written but not read
all have become shadows
dissipating in the light of lies
enveloping the city

all have forgotten
all are forgotten

sometimes a few come together to show off the collection of their pains
or to discuss their bed adventures
yet soon they retreat to their loneliness
they nod when you talk about preservation of the environment
but never get off their cars
they smile when you sing about freedom
but never open the door of their cages
they shut their eyes
and ask where beauty is
they open their eyes
and wonder why they cannot find the truth

no wind
no rain
no snow
a long cold dry season
lasting a lifetime

.




2 comments:

Peter Greene said...

Thanks, HB. When I read this, a passage came into my head; it's from Dante's Commedia, Paradiso, Canto 33, and it goes (in someone else's translation):

"I beheld leaves within the unfathomed blaze/
Into one volume bound by love, the same/
That the universe holds scattered through its maze./
Substance and accidents, and their modes, became/
As if fused together, all in such wise/
That what I speak of is one simple flame."


And all the best of this long cold winter to you - take care, and thanks for the poem.
PG

human being said...

ahhhh... it's all about that flame!
crow is selfishly happy her caws brought these magnificent lines to your beautiful mind...

wish you a 'fruitful' winter...

sorry for the late answer!
:)