"Not idly did I chance upon the briar where caravans of smog are loath to tread" — PARTS 1, 2 & 3 of a LONGER POEM

in #poetry5 years ago

Not idly did I chance upon the briar
Where caravans of smog are loath to tread

.
by @d-pend


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I.

Below the balmy torso of the city,
Where rubbish intermixes with its rill
I know the stones and orange-roots that line her:
She carves against the road to drink her fill.

With feet of lead and toes of mercury,
I pinioned-creep down precipice concrete
To swing a lithesome footstep to the entry
Of where the creek and where its tunnel meet.

Here some unbidden elementals dwell—
To transmutate th' gross eclectic wind.
To manufacture ionated ether,
From this dank tunnel outward-spreading send.

Here the gloomy aqua murmurs ill
On one side, on the other, plashes free
Unto the path that few kind-hearted draw
Their aura-trace along in synergy.

There is but one fell note that sets aflame
The tunnel's nexus-strand, so singing I
Proclaim the ballad of a restless place
To set the hounds a-braying as I hie.

II.

"From hence!" the city screams, as well the wood
Bleeds with a selfsame anger at its turn
Decrepit, tumbling to itself, from plains
Defaced by human sightlessness to burn.

The cheerful fall from tunnel-mouth elates
Newborn, bereft of humane agony.
Before me is the prospect of a glen
A-twist with druid patience, ever free.

Of wild things are only clayven tracks
Impressed into the unctuated loam.
I save their pawprint messages by stealth
As I track myself through mud and aerous foam.

III.

How keenly does my heart preserve the sense
Of ancient flatrock rarified by time—
Each divot, each curvaceous lithograph
Does echo as a softly spoken ode.

And keenly does my spirit wish to glean
Each angle of this grove, in every guise
That I, by slow degrees may learn its mind,
And slower still embalm me in its tongue.

An ancient drone's antenna beams me well
The wisdom of the tribe from which it's spun.
Upon a leaf o'er dire drop unfazed
I breathe the precepts of an anthill'd age.

The brave autonomy of gaian beast
I cannot help partaking as I glide.
So human fears are painted as a gridstone
And shattered by erasure of clear mind.

. . .
Written by Daniel J. Pendergraft
June 21, 2019
All photos and writing are my own.


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Very cool and thanks for letting me know what inspired this poem!

How keenly does my heart preserve the sense
Of ancient flatrock rarified by time—
Each divot, each curvaceous lithograph
Does echo as a softly spoken ode

There is magic in the forest. It is seen in a small way but felt in a big way. Untouched nature holds the most. I remember driving through an old growth forest in Northern Saskchewan at twilight. That was an experience I will never forget. The energy was thick and the animals were everywhere.

First Nations often speak of how land can be hurt from certain human activity. Nature should not be a dumping ground for technology.

Fantastic write, Dan:)

We miss you d-pend! Where can we hear your poetry now? Hope all is well with you!

I liked the picture and the poem. I think this is proof that you can stick with traditional form and still create a living message of modern poetry.

Becoming one with the environment allows you not only to feel, but also to listen to your mind. That's what I think you're trying to convey with this poem. And if we were all connected to Mother Earth, we would feel the affront it receives every time it is considered a human junk dump, what should be a virgin forest, a natural sanctuary for the exchange of energy and positive thoughts.

Hi @d-pend!

Your post was upvoted by @steem-ua, new Steem dApp, using UserAuthority for algorithmic post curation!
Your UA account score is currently 5.440 which ranks you at #706 across all Steem accounts.
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In our last Algorithmic Curation Round, consisting of 202 contributions, your post is ranked at #177.

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Your work is unique and I hope to see more of it here
Wish you good happy holidays my friend

Is your account okay @d-pend? Noticed you haven't been posting much since you signed up for steemengineteam, but they've been spamming you with comments here since you stopped.

https://steempeak.com/security/@themarkymark/warning-if-you-voted-on-steemengineteam-post-change-your-keys-immediately

If you can deauthorize their ability to cast your votes, and also change your key, that would be a good idea. Looks like they are using your votes, along with thousands of others to upvote their content.

Hope are able to restore your regular activities again soon.

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