moving through a third-person existence.

for Devons' photo contest..

a tiny man surrounded by a tiny world

scurries round the giant clocktower

that ticks away his hours, daily,

Big Ben intoning the times

he will eat his sarnies, drink his tea, 

dutifully following his role as laid out 

by all the starchedcollar tie-wearers that came before

never a pip, never a tut, never an outward sign of otherness

yet, unbeknownst to those he shares 

this little piece of the anthill with,

he lives a wilder life inside:

he scales the giant skyscrapers of his dreams,

while drinking deep of late-night ambrosia;

he sails the oceans around his soul and 

touches the stars with trembling fingertips;

all the while safely ensconced within other people's words...

his physical lips never truly imbibe the world round him

just the ones he wears in his mind

Reviews

[alan peter kelly]

Alan likes...Alan thinks this is about HIM!!! :O :) i can relate...this is ambrosia in itself with its endearing language transcendent of the possible bias of my having known you for so long...dreamers eh...i can stay in bed for days and write or be anywhere my mind may choose at any given time...it is my life...but like all life...it takes and learns and possibly adds some new dimension or twist from the wisdom of what it sees and soaks up every speck like gravy on a plate to one who is hungry for that which has texture / taste / and reflects the pleasure of being...

[Devons]

A lovely, succinct and charming piece of poetry. The clarity and brevity of the concept -indeed, its simplicity- conjures a kind of magic clockwork world within the imagination. The tiny and straightforward detail of dreams and reality have a dream-like, fairy tale quality which I think emphasises the tiny insignificance of 'inner life' within a world of individuals with similar secret pipe dreams and aspirations. It is the tragic and at the same time optimistic lot of everyday human kind in "this little piece of the anthill"..
And this world is beautifully, insightfully and hauntingly captured:
"all the while safely ensconced within other people's words..."
An affecting and poignant miniature of art and life.

[Cliff Rhodes]

Yes, I think all of us live a different life inside but we hardly know the effect others have on us. It happens like magic and that is all we really know.

[Tony]

Sooner or later, some of the tiny men fly off into the inner child and never return to the clock.
This is Superb.

[Emily B]

love that wilder life inside line

awesome stuff

[Jonathan Ballam]

Wow...thanks a damn luxuriant nursery rhyme if I every saw one. You're one of the few poets who I'll read the same poem more than once. This is a definite favourite!

Would you mind if I posted this one to my blog? I would love to share your fluid and rich imagery ;)

[Isolophobe]

this is so great, if ever fantasies have had their justice given the beauty they deserve and embody, it is here that they are seen for what they are. i think this man is a very common man too.

[JelliFyshKissUs]

And he is she, and she is he, and they are we, and we are everyone. The story of our lives within this poem. Following the mundane roles we have been assigned while dreaming of a life that holds so much more. How you came up with this amazing tale by the glance of a picture I cannot fathom, but I am very glad you did. An extraordinary poem, dark-haired beauty.

[Sweet_pale_cacophony]

You were brilliant with this poem..absolutely brilliant..

[rash]

wow this is beautiful

[Ruth]

I think this is amazing work!
A unique slant on the photo:)
All that could be infused from time and thought, is here!
Superb work!
xx