"Into The Ocean Where Darkness Shines" --- original poem
Into The Ocean Where Darkness Shines
Too often I’ve been content to
Wriggle around on the pond’s grey surface,
Extinguishing in the mud with flailing strokes
The fire of urgency. It died in child-eyes
When it was doubt-dampened
And dimmed by stagnant fate
In a motionless pool.
Anguish was
The slimy deluge of fish tears that
Slipped down face & gullet & numbed my conscience: It was
Rheumy snake eyes of burnished gold & flashing yellow greed that
Spit acid rain on my parade. No longer could I pantomime in
The fickle charade of a wise man.
Three turns at least, or was it seventeen?
On the winding paths of briars & ferns
That bled intelligence into the waiting chasm
Of my darkened mind in purple rivulets.
The majestic roar of the current
Swirled a humid hum in the distance,
Steadily approaching as I limped towards it.
Moss-covered rocks licked their lips.
Consuming the mineral spray,
They eyed my aura.
Red-orange starlight began to relax
Into lemon hues and I sighed.
I dipped my legs into the cool water
That drank deeply of my pain.
Through simplicity I discovered what the minnows knew:
To follow the dark current that whirled both day & night,
That lead to the center of life’s labyrinth.
I will not be satisfied to
Dip my toes into the clear water;
I will dive deep into the luminescent waves,
Until I reach the black light that makes everything shine.
On the glowing coral, through the squid ink, I will read mysterious
Symbols that speak the jeweled procedure in primordial tongue:
How to compress into the essence, the core of all things, &
How to understand the language in which the ocean sings.
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By Daniel Pendergraft
7/12/17
@d-pend
Photo credit:
- "Yellow-Orange Squid in Dark Blue Sea" by Oday Hazeem
- "Trail Obscured"--- original photo taken 7/11/17 at Holy Cross Waterfall
- "Waterfall's Absorption"--- original photo taken 7/11/17 at Holy Cross Waterfall
Hello all! Thanks for stopping by! Please let me know what you think of the poem and photos. (the last two photos are mine.) You could describe what it made you imagine or how it made you feel. Or, you could give me some constructive criticism.
The person that gives the highest quality feedback in the comments as chosen by me will earn a 100% upvote as well as 5 STEEM at the end of Sunday (7/16/17)
Thanks to @minnowsupport, @robyneggs with the #onehumanbasket project, and all my followers for supporting my work :)
I had to read your poem multiple times because of its complexity. I'm probably very off but here is what I got from it: In life we frequently get complacent and idled. When we were young, we had spirit, but it got diminished by self doubt which led to stagnation. Then comes a point where we get restless in a limiting pond, with the need to seek something deeper. The water calls but the path we have to take is not straight but very winding with obstacles along the way. After numerous challenges, we finally reach the water. Within its depths are the answers we seek. It is the ancient beginnings of life.
I love your pictures. It speaks of natures imperfections that come together into a beautiful picture of constant motion, life, death and rebirth and of peace and contentment. Thank-you for your very deep post.
That's a really interesting interpretation! I love how everyone can read the same words and come to different conclusions. In fact the best writing leaves enough ambiguity for the reader's imagination to run free, something I want to get better at (at times I think my writing is too dense and in that case might not connect with the reader as well)
Another big reason I want to hear outside perspectives is oftentimes I'm not sure of what certain things "mean" that I write! That is to say, I know they are fitting, and purposeful, yet sometimes it is still a mystery since the phrases can come through flashes of inspiration.
I really like how you took the fragmentary nature of the poem and organized into something more resembling a narrative. Your explanation almost makes more sense than my poem, lol! It also clarified the meaning of this piece to me further. Writing to me is an exploration... a way of processing the events of life, and attempting to make sense of it all. So when someone else reads it, they reflect the meaning back to you through their consciousness, and I find this to be a very dep and beautiful process. So I appreciate you for participating and enriching me with your perspective :)
D-pend, thank-you for your wonderful and insightful comment. It took me multiple times to absorb your poem because I wanted to grasp what you were truly trying to say. I always try to respect the writer by taking the time to envision the words and feel the energy from it. I am sort of like an empath who can sense things and feel what a person is feeling. That is why I gravitate to certain people. I can only interact with innately good core people and will avoid negative energy.
Your poem drew me in because I could feel the need for you to find the pure purpose of existence. It felt that your had to work you way through past inhibitions, past self doubts and make your way through obstacles that life throws into your path, until you find the purity of water/ocean that holds buried within it, the hidden secrets of the ancients who know the purpose of being. It is then you will have enlightenment.
You have such a deep essence that comes out in spurts, that wants to be heard. Your interpretation sometimes can be nebulous but in a way it is meant to reach only those who take the time to look behind the words and find meaning. I think it is partly your way of finding special people who can connect on another level of understanding with you.
You have a beautiful core with a multitude of energies that really have to come out. I feel in my being, that the more you express either via poems, music, art, etc. you will find that inner understanding and peace. It took Buddha an eternity to find enlightenment but when he did, he became all knowing. Keep expressing d-pend and you will eventually find your own! I support you in your march to inner peace and being!.....Cabbagepatch
When I read this I think of how vast , big and powerful the ocean is in comparison to you, the spectator as you just tip the surface mass in which the ocean has to offer !!!..{or has not to offer}.. since the 'Moss-covered rocks' seemed to be sizing you up as it eyed your aura.
It particularly gave me a sense of uneasiness as I have fear of the sea, so the whole poem was an edgy one for me :]
& I do love the last photograph the best, I love the flow of the water, as it falls and drops so freely, & the fact we really have no control over it , it gives the idea that sea has ..life!
Wonderful as always, Thank You!!
@aineyann, thanks a lot for that feedback, and I know what you mean about the fear of the ocean! I love the ocean yet I still fear it at the same time, it is so massive and could swallow a human so easily...
I'm glad you enjoyed the photo of the waterfalls... that's a special place to me, somewhere I can go to recharge and be alone with nature. The cool water seems so healing and there is a constant breeze from the downward flow of the current.
I appreciate your comment :)
If you like this article then click here to read more about the subject.
suggestionbot, you're a random fellow
Hi @d-pend, thank you for your feedback! We've been working on that randomness issue today and have made good progress. Now we're using duckduckgo.com for the search engine and have increased the number of keywords used to help with search accuracy. I'll try to edit my previous link to be more relevant to your content.
I like your poem by the way, it's going to be difficult to summarize in keywords.
just magical :) love the peom and pictures!! had to resteem it :P
Thanks so much!! I enjoyed your posts about Norway, keep sharing :D Hope you enjoy your time on Steemit :)
I like your poetry :)
Thank you for reading :)
I think this is masterful and very beautiful! That is my simple comment.
You made the #1 slot over at @robyneggs @onehumanbasket recap.
Here is the link:
https://steemit.com/onehumanbasket/@robyneggs/end-of-the-week-top-15-poetry-picks-one-human-basket
I am sharing as others need to experience it. :)
So very kind of you, and I am surprised and honored to have been selected by @robyneggs in her top 15 from this week! I didn't see that so thanks for letting me know :)
I enjoyed the short poem you posted a couple of days ago. I hope to see more in the future!
I made #2 place. Check it out.
https://steemit.com/poetry/@mamadini/the-orchard-like-crystal-reflections-of-ripe-fruit
;)
I just saw that!! Congratulations, and it was an excellent piece :)
I loved being beat out by you as your piece truly got under my skin, in the best of ways, of course. :)
Great Poem! ❣️
Thanks again for contributing to the One Human Basket community! 🔆
I curate #poetry and posts with the tag #onehumanbasket
Find out more in the NEW Poetry Dice Challenge
Thanks a lot @robyneggs! My good friend @rensoul17 and I were just talking about how much we like the title and concept of your #onehumanbasket project. It's just funny to picture a basket filled with all these different colors and types of eggs (or humans) all coping with the intricacies of existence and trying to make sense of it! I really appreciate your work curating content and just wanted to let you know. Have a great day!
Thank you so much for your kind comment! So glad to spread around the "eggsistential" ambiguity of the OHB ⚒
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If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.
Thanks so much as always @minnowsupport!
You've been UpVoted via the UpVote Experiment 002 Bot. Depending on my VP & the price of STEEM you should get a $.01-$.03 for your trouble.
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