Sunday, December 06, 2015

dove and snake

Life's not fair but we move on...



photo by bm cm ath
image from morguefile.com




dove and snake




look
people pissed you off
i know

a truck
backfiring
startles we learned that from
the jungles
and wadis

you can
shoot snow
into your veins do we care?
but why
let them win?

no reason
to
make the evening's headlines
or
whatever

it's not
like russian roulette you hold
the ace



06/10/2015
**********






Do you relate more to the dove or to the snake?

*

from “Form” by Louise Mathias



I was inspired by the lines from the above poem (and a rather moody day). This is a prompt from the Bibliomancy Oracle. It can work in sullen ways.





© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2015

Labels: , , , , ,

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

No one cares.. But then why let them win... Like that!

06 December, 2015 21:43  
Anonymous dsnake1 said...

thank you, thotpurge!
was in a bad mood. :)

06 December, 2015 21:58  
Blogger Jae Rose said...

Both - perhaps it is about balance - which voice should we listen to? Whenever i do what i do i am reminded of an edited quote given to me by a loved one and stuck on the fridge 'You might as well live (well)' sadly it doesn't always stop us/me from letting the crap flow through my veins...a clever and resonant poem..

06 December, 2015 21:59  
Blogger Sanaa Rizvi said...

I can feel the anger in the lines... for certain life is unfair and people disappoint us... crush our spirit.. but like you said... we just can't let them win. Excellent write :)

06 December, 2015 22:34  
Blogger dsnake1 said...

Jae,

we do need all the help we can, from friends or family. and i agree there is a need to strike a balance. extremism usually do not work.
i really liked how you interpret the poem. i seldom write such abstract stuff. :)


Sanaa,

no, we just can't let them win! :)

06 December, 2015 23:46  
Blogger brudberg said...

Both and neither, we just have to follow our instinct and breathe a few times before we fall into anger.

07 December, 2015 00:40  
Anonymous Donna@LivingFromHappiness said...

Somedays it feels as if we are reasoning with futility and the world has lost all reason...

07 December, 2015 01:19  
Blogger Sherry Blue Sky said...

Yes, this poem made me think of the misguided anger of extremists.....well said, we cant let them win.

07 December, 2015 02:32  
Blogger Mary said...

Hard one for me to understand today, but it seems Jae Rose has got it. I guess what comes to mind is even if a person is 'pissed off' by someone it is not a good reason to 'shoot snow into your veins.' Everyone holds the 'ace' in their own life. Anyway that is what I get from it, which I am not sure is 100% what you had intended.

07 December, 2015 02:53  
Blogger Wendy Bourke said...

An awesome write ... and wise.

07 December, 2015 11:30  
Blogger Sumana Roy said...

the dark mood is prominent...a clever write...

07 December, 2015 12:37  
Blogger dsnake1 said...

Bjorn,

i guess following our instinct is a good choice, and though sometimes it may be wrong, but still it is a decision that shouldn't be regretted.


Donna,

it is, it is. we see a world pulling apart. we see more homeless, more poverty, the widening chasm between the haves and haves-not. the random violence in the cities. i was hoping the ship can right itself.


Sherry.

it does? that's another angle too. extremists are misguided by misinformation, disinformation and propaganda. basically they were once just like ordinary folks.


Mary,

i know, this poem may be a hard nut to crack. it is a bit abstract, in a way.
basically, this poem is about how one is going to live his life. are we going to be weak and timid and be bullied, give in to drugs, or turn into a violent madman? the dove and the snake are at different ends of each other, but they are not extremes. one is calm and may find peaceful means to clear a situation, the other will strike back when provoked. the 'ace' shows that everyone's choice is in their own hands.
it is a very recent write, and i wasn't sure of posting it. glad i did.

whew! a pretty long reply. :)


Wendy,

thank you! just putting down some of my thoughts. :)


Sumana,

dark, huh? in a way, yes, it's quite moody. :)

07 December, 2015 21:20  
Blogger Susan said...

Dove and Snake together is exactly right. When will we learn not to be semi-suicidal--send our rage out instead of in? And send it out in ways that honor life? I smoked cigarettes for 37 years--a small addiction comparatively--but I couldn't quit until I wanted something more--something that would give me to myself. That's the dove, how I finally learned to love god in me and then see that in others.

07 December, 2015 23:59  
Blogger Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

Love your style - and also your (very different) source poem by Mathias.

08 December, 2015 08:02  
Blogger Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

PS I particularly love your conclusion.

08 December, 2015 08:05  
Blogger dsnake1 said...

Susan,

first, thank you for your comment. this type of comment can prompt me to write another poem, really. :)
no one mentioned it yet, but there is a certain structure/form in the poem. it is as if to say, there is a method in the chaos.
i smoked for over 30 plus years too, and one day the heart muscles just gave a nasty twitch, and i just quit like that. i guess that was also the dove taking over. i think that i have finally learn to love myself.



Rosemary,

ah, so you have noticed the structure of the poem?
yes, it is different from the source poem, but is partially inspired by it, especially about the 'pointless hills' and horse.
i like the conclusion too. :)

08 December, 2015 20:51  
Blogger Ostensible Truth said...

oh I like,"it's not
like russian roulette you hold
the ace"
and the gritty undertone to the rest of the piece (and indeed to other poems on your page), urban poetry indeed.
Those last lines though remind me of a piece I read a while ago, of a person playing russian roulette with themselves - an interesting expression of self-destruction, with the decision removed outwards yet still within the person's clasp. Anyways, I digress, great write!

27 December, 2015 04:36  
Blogger dsnake1 said...

i don't know, when i am in the mood, i like to write gritty stuff. :)
glad how you interpret the last strophe, like what i intended. that the decision is still in one's grasp.
about the piece you read, is it "the deer hunter"?

thanks for your comment!

27 December, 2015 23:56  

Post a Comment

<< Home