Innocence ~ A Conquered Fortress

“Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its own soul.” ~   Francis Thompson

 

They gave white roses to the streetwalkers,

The windows were never shut; they let the wind drifts come in,

Smelling of sea-weed and salt; but they never cringed.

Little hamlets, early-born in the sinless corners of the heart,

Where Ariel and Ursula were still the best of friends,

And Goliath was just a brawny kid,

Playing the Illy Ally-O with his wee cousin David.

Those were the times when ‘Happiness’ was often misspelled,

As Miss Maurice at school asked for its spell; but it was felt

In every gulp of sugary lemonade on a scarlet summer’s day

And Love was not just a word, but the summons of the soul, in fusion and form.

Then the Others came in, the men from the East,

They had ridden the lunar tides

To trade in moonstones for Juniper berries.

Phosphorus eyes and sweet cinnamon smiles,

Their kimonos swished in callous, dizzy circles.

As the innocent fell in their Swiss summer hugs,

They pierced the shoulder blades with long, silver daggers.

But they knew no malice, nor the other side of apathy,

They laid the bodies in the somber earth,

Brushing the lips with their saccharine breaths.

The wounds hollowed the souls, but never meant to kill.

So rise they did; and wary they were,

Of the singing sea, stranger smiles and every other sailing ship.

In the snake trails that swallowed the ballerina floors,

They heaved the sniveling stones to the cleansing coastlines.

They built the walls, strong and thick; repellent of the earthly pleasures.

Up in the turrets, they loaded the cannons with weapons

Of abstruse orbits, glacial gazes and wagging tongues,

Holding the tempests at bay; a power decoction,

Freezing the insides with Tundra delights

The oceans fumed and the gales wailed their wails,

But failing as they met the forces of inertia.

Change what may, change it would - and change it did;

No petals were strewn on the curvy streets;

Mr. Frasier had shut down the florist shop,

On the seventh floor, Pomona Hebraize craned her neck,

Alas! She didn’t see her son’s boat!

‘Anne of Green Gables’ yellowed on the dusty bookshelves.

And like everything else They too didn’t remain the same;

From the shires of serene they did transform;

Into widowed islands wading in the sunless sea.

Author's Note

This is something on the lines of one of my previous poems - ‘I Have To Go’. It’s slightly abstract. The central theme of this poem is Innocence. There are many prevalent views on the subject. For e.g. there is a quote that says “Innocence plays in the backyard of ignorance” and some others have said “Innocence is always unsuspicious.” Most people think innocence and maturity don’t go hand in hand. But I beg to differ. I think they are the two ends of the same rope. Innocence help you to see the world differently- not in a mean, deceitful way, not in a way that makes you think it’s a place for the cold and the indifferent, but in a way where forgiveness is your guiding light. It helps you to see things in a positive light, to make you extract the best out of every situation and every person.
Often there are people who come along with immeasurable finesse to cause hurt- something that often tarnish this virtue. People sometimes let go very easily. Suspicion and disbelief reigns supreme! You start thinking twice before promising love to somebody. Unfortunately this is a vicious circle! The more you distance yourself to keep pain at great lengths, the more corrosive your thoughts become… They eat you from the insides and you are rendered as a planning and calculative creature.
I think love always involves that risk of not being reciprocated with or your trust getting breached. But does that mean we stop loving? No, I don’t think so! After all love is nothing but the leap of faith born out of innocence.
This is my point of view. Of course people can differ. I leave the poem to my readers to be interpreted around this centered theme. Of course any other alternate views are more than welcome!

Reviews

[Mark]

So much of what I read today revolves around being a victim with no power, no choice; and yet I perceive the universe as folding around the choices I make. Innocence is a choice; we decide to give it up or keep it. Great work here, love the metaphors and the contrasts. :)

[Pratik]

Thanks Mark :)

[Pratik]

Lovely, oh my "~ Francis Thompson" said so well......
You my friend are a true genious, walking through your
Philosopical mind, and morals, I loved this, it has such a wisdom, and
Bright innocence, you yearn for, yet hard reality exploded into words...
I have tears, I can't help it. It touches me deep....
This is so utterly good dear poet, you're so brilliant! yet intriguing,
As I am on the space of awareness, with your quill.

Amazing, sigh.... your ending, wow....
High score on this one, and it goes into my favorites.

E.L.

[Pratik]

You are ever so generous with your words Emily! I am glad it touched you... that's because you still have those little hamlets of innocence alive in you.. Thanks a million for this wonderful review :)

You're so welcome, it's my pleasure.

[An owl on the moon]

You just infused this with emotional glimpses... powerful, vivid words that piece fragments of those stories of the mind into a cohesive journey across the heart... A powerful, profound write.

[Pratik]

Thank you Craig! You are generous as always :)

[Leslie Philibert]

This is very good. What I like is the combination of language, very noble and elegant,but then anchored with lots of examples from everyday life. This makes it convincing, and combined with the good theme and quotes this is an excellent piece of literature, you should be very pleased with it.
(One often reads very good poetry from India, and Tagore with his Nobel Prize for Literature opened the door for the many excellent non-European writers)

[Pratik]

Thank you Leslie! I am glad you liked it... This poem needed a bit of work to strike that fine balance... otherwise I felt people would fail to relate to... You are right about the last part.. Tagore helped Indian literature to reach the West. But there were many great writers even in the times of Tagore and thereafter that India saw...I think the city that I come from ( Calcutta ) has had a lot of effect on me as a writer... It is the cultural capital of India and has produced many great writers, poets, musicians, filmmakers and social revolutionists; To many it's still the 'Paris of the East'

[Dayran]

Its my impression that the people who came were once born here on the shores of this lake of innocence. It may be an idea for you to try to reach them. You appear to be in a greater experience of understanding of the issues. You can grow with it, preserve the innocence and help those who come to you who seek a remedy, even if they build high walls.

[Pratik]

Thank you sir for your insight! I feel simplicity has gone out of our lives and relationships! That's what prompted me to write this..

[Arielle Ann]

this write compelled me to mark several phrases my favorite; you could unearth so much from the simple incidents in life; I loved the line where you said happiness was then usually mispelled but yet was defined more than we can do it now! you are one marvelous writer ! and yes "arielle" is still my friend!!

[Pratik]

Thanks Anisha!! ( or should I say Arielle ;) ) 'The Little Mermaid' was one of my favorite cartoons on television when I was at school... but I hated Ursula :) Nice to have you back on writerscafe.. :)

[Arielle Ann]

always welcome!!!

[Poetic Beauty]

This is a intriguing and well thought out tale you weave in this piece. It is informational and eye opening.

[Pratik]

Thank you for the review... I am glad you liked it :)

[Poetic Beauty]

You are welcome. It was a truly thought out piece.