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Light
There was a crack
sharper than stone ever made
when the rack
of earth would shake.
There was a hand,
a mercy stronger than cruelty
ringing the chorus-band
bells of the lost,
and far along
beyond the break
beyond the song,
the touch, the cost,
beyond the night,
at the very end, there was light.
~April 2014
55 fragments of light and shadow for Fireblossom's 55 Party
Top image: Child and Seeing Hands, 1950, by Hans Belmer
May be protected by copyright.Posted under fair use guidelines. via wikipaintings.org
Footer: The Hands of Nature Offering Water, 1951, by Diego Rivera
May be protected by copyright.Posted under fair use guidelines via wikipaintings.org
"A mercy stronger than cruelty"
ReplyDeleteThat's great!
This turns Genesis on its head, with light being the very last thing, but this sounds more like reality, to me. I just read that 1/4 of the residents of my state are evangelical Christians. That's just scary. I think I've met half of them already, at the bus stop.
ReplyDeletethis def rings of myth, of that break through of light...to me though it is later than genesis...but at the darkest moment, for christians at least, the death of christ, the shaking of the ground, the upturn of the tombs and the rending of the curtain that separated god from the masses.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tale, well told, and beautiful image by Diego Rivera. I am thinking of when I have a problem, trying to figure something out…at the very last, beyond it all, there is the solution, the 'light.'
ReplyDeleteLove it great job! " A mercy stronger than cruelty" Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLoved your Illuminating 55...
ReplyDelete(The greatest thing about being a NON-Host is that I can now be brief...VERY brief)
I, too, was struck by the line about mercy stronger than cruelty.........beautiful write, Joy!
ReplyDeleteHoping that 'beyond' always contains some light.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of Leonard Cohen's 'Anthem' - such beautiful words perfectly placed, with a strong sense of timing. The impact is palpable.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful poem - wonderful rhythms and cadence and movement. I have a little bit of a problem with the second stanza--the hand and mercy--only because I sense all the different interpretations of that which will go well beyond chaos theory--and maybe they are what you mean--and I myself am very worried about the hand--all that said, the poem does what it does super well--a definable crack at the beginning--and amazing to have done it all in 55. I am a bit behind my eight ball because of a variety of social obligations--all wonderful--poor timing! k.
ReplyDeleteHmm--the hand is human and good, if that helps--connection, what rings the delicate bells that make the song, even for the lost.Yes, it's easy to get behind on this--I have nothing for tomorrow yet so we will just have to see what happens. Enjoy your social stuff; in fact, enjoy everything you can, that's my motto. :_) Thanks, k.
DeleteYou know I just came back-- ID seen this on my office computer which sometimes cuts off pics- I thought only mine-- but it completely cut off your pic--so it didn't even have the little hands in it at all but was just a rather formless mass-- or maybe it was my eyes-- but I think the computer so I can see now that I have the whole photo that I was somewhat misguided by my earlier vision of it. (Kind of strange!) I like the poem very much as the salvation of the moment, the person, kindness as illumination. When the pic was formless ice I was led very much to cosmology and I do find the frequent US take on that extremely troubling. But the hand that helps out is the best there is as is the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a bunch of not very good poems I've scribbled out the last few days so can use but kind of hate not to have something better.k.
DeleteAh, good. Yes, some people don't like to use pictures with their writing--they feel the poem should stand alone, and I agree, if one is reading it in a book, maybe. But when one is blogging through reams of poetry on the internet every week, a picture is often very helpful and clarifying. I was lucky to find that one by Bellmer. I know what you mean about the doubt regarding scribbles--but that is what April is about, just writing, and seeing what comes, and not being too hung up on every single piece being a gem--I know the one I am getting ready to post is not doing much for me, but as I've said before, sometimes we are not the best judges of what we write.At least, I hope so in this case. ;_)
DeleteIt does seem epic if not biblical- the end of life stepping into death.
ReplyDeletea mercy stronger than cruelty....a great line, Beautifully told.
ReplyDeleteI feel hope in this poem… a happy ending! Mercy stronger than cruelty is what I'm counting on.
ReplyDeleteNow that's some creaton myth. I love the cadence, the strong rhyme, and most of all the mercy. Great pics your paired with this too.
ReplyDelete55? damn, I missed the inaugural event. may have to go back and visit.
ReplyDeleteyour first verse grabs and never relinquishes, and as FB notes, it feels like an inverse Genesis. ~