Volition

Volition

 

Sure knowledge is no blessing

Though men think so

If I knew, knew of a certainty

That to lie beneath the oak

Forever

Would make me oak

I might

I would surely consider it

Consider a long nap

With an acorn in my pocket

Waiting for a handy carpenter

Reviews

[W.k.kortas]

The "handy carpenter"...hmmm...there is more than a bit of a sly nod to the mystery of faith here, wot? Actually, I don't want to damn this with faint praise, because it is, quite frankly, about as terrific as you can be in under a dozen lines; there are layers of meaning here that belie the poem's brevity. Frankly, I wish I had written this.

[Kaylor Mason]

Knowledge is no blessing--that is truth on a very profound level. The more we know, the more we wish we could forget.

[Delmar Cooper]

"The more we know, the more we wish we could forget." Or, the more we know the better we understand our ignorance.

[rew]

'' s handy carpenter, '' that tradesperson, perhaps, is a nod towards Christianity and the MAN himself.
This will please the Bible thumpers no end.
Whatever, it also points to a very long sleep
an escape from the realities of life a longing to be elsewhere not necessarily of the author itself but an offering to its reader
as a thought to think about and overall the poem could be described as being, in part,an illustration of the '' human condition ''
which in life one longs for death knowing that it is on the way and this is a way of escaping such.
First: Human (a short life)
Oak tree (long life)
To furniture (long life)
Or a cross (eternity)
Perhaps the author was well aware of all the possible readings (there are more) but it is the human condition which all poetry should touch on because?
Well, the readers - consciously or not - will pick up on it and then the reader will know the reader is not alone within this human condition.
regards from rew

[Delmar Cooper]

The Cooper method of poetry writing is to laboriously drive to top of the mountain, put the vehicle in neutral and coast down the hill until the sudden stop.
Thanks for your comments and yeah, all the stuff you said, yeah all that.

[Dave Brown]

I prefer this to be the Bibles carpenter because I don't think a mighty Oak, after taking all that time to mature, wants to be cut down just to be cut up.
BTW, when working with Oak, I have had it near paper thin

[Delmar Cooper]

Thanks for reading and your thoughts on veneer.

[barleygirl]

This is a breathtaking little wisp of uncertainty . . . satire or sincerity? On one hand, this could be a spoof on Jesus-as-carpenter . . . but it also reads in an honest & conversational way -- saying what you're saying . . . this narrator wants a guarantee before he believes, whereas the Christian faith implores us to believe so that we may see. But not being particularly pious myself, I prefer to read this as a commentary on the almighty oak, a symbolic tree with it's crazy-deep tap root to weather drought, and there's much to be said in favor of lying down with oaks (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Delmar Cooper]

Sucked by roots to become part of ring 157 might not be as bad a fate as one could have.

[Dhara_Ditzy Kat]

We never know for sure...knowledge is supposed to confirm and assure but it only seems to add to the doubts...the turmoil...no wonder knowledge has no bearing on faith. I seek a carpenter.

[Delmar Cooper]

Right on about being sure. Thank you for reading and your thoughts on this poem.

[Dhara_Ditzy Kat]

I enjoyed reading this poem and penning my thoughts on it.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

There is a quality to this that leads to images of the great poets and thinkers. A philosophical pondering on being itself as we, components of the cosmos now know our quarks may be spread across the universe to meld with another object or person. Then again, perhaps the protagonist is simply an indolent character!

[Delmar Cooper]

John, Thanks for reading and for your comments. If the protagonist is as indolent as his creator he is a lazy fellow indeed.

[T.S. Ulmus]

The repetition of words is daring and reads really well, it's a really clever piece. To harken to the Buddha beneath the bohdi tree as well as the obvious Carpenter in a poem about knowledge, and with such a light hand, is quite clever. Maybe we're destined to be molded by a carpenter equal to our own skill. I for one am quite adept at turning large regular pieces of wood into smaller irregular pieces of wood. Religious allegories aside, it's a smart fun poem.

[Delmar Cooper]

Thanks for reading and for your cogent comments. " I for one am quite adept at turning large regular pieces of wood into smaller irregular pieces of wood." Sawdust is useful too.

[Mrudula Rani]

Poets are enigmatic creatures.
(I have never seen an oak tree. We have a lot of mango, almond and neem trees here)
there seemed to be 60 different species of oak trees native to North America! Any particular type your favorite?

[Delmar Cooper]

White oak gives good shade and is useful, water oaks are graceful all are sturdy with good hard wood.

[Mrudula Rani]

it's entirely my pleasure.

[CD Campbell]

Or one day used for firewood. In retrospect that would be better than to be filled with chemicals and thrown into a dark hole. I will say that a piece of oak is a fine wood to work with and a shame to mis-cut. I like the pregnancy comment below. It's a Cooperism.

Kortas has all ready thrown heavy praise and there's nothing much to add. Can't beat the master.

[Delmar Cooper]

Firewood defies entropy. it warms you twice. So maybe a "Defier of Natural Law" is a pretty cool thing to be. Relax, I haven't ordered the cape and tights just yet.