THE MAN OF LA MOONTA

My tribute to one who is unquestionably the most prolific and most profound of all the writers here, upon having learned of his heart attack last week...

THE MAN OF LA MOONTA

 

A Giant ‘pon the earth doth stride

His feet leave mighty prints

And we who’ve in his shadow stood

May play within their dents

The Northern and the Southern,

 ‘pon both hemispheres he’s stood

The Western and the Eastern, too

Have known that  Giant’s good!

 

‘pon mighty Pillars he does stand

Which give him a long view

Until the day he was bemanned

They showed him what to do

When from Brittania’s misty climes

He felt the need to stir

His greaves and gauntlets were taut-set;

The rest now seems a blur!

 

Onto Tasman’s  southern shores,

Unto Maori lands

The Giant now has set his prow,

His head, his heart, his hands.

One ocean, you will duly note

Our Giant’s step has spanned;

O’er others he shall soar soon hence,

Ere voyaging is banned.

 

He donned a suit of khaki, then,

And strode where he was bid.

The wings he’d donned placed him in bond--

(For but a  season  did!)

Yet though his body was oft bound,

His spirit never ceased to strive

For during that time he had found

A vaster vehicle to drive!

 

Then across another Gulf

Of Leyte and So’Chin

His eye betook a second look

To test his might and mien

To bring the tongue of Eng-ga-lun,

Her precepts and her creed

Were what that Giant did perceive

The ochre-men to need!

 

And the saffron damsels, too

(I hardly need to add!)

For though our Giant’s now a man,

He still was quite the lad!

And if a rickshaw was his ride,

His mind had larger wheels

He wrote until his fingers bled

And with undying zeal!

 

He shared his strengths and weaknesses

His sorrows and his joys,

The paths he’d laid, the times he’d strayed,

His tools, his t’oughts, his toys.

Back to Australia’s banks he walked

A time, or two or three

But ever back to Chine he strode

Once he’d charged his battery.

 

 

But now upon taMoon he’s parked

A wise old Giant, he

For ‘tis from thence he may dispense

His vast profundity.

But if you though him safe-ensconced

The breadth of his reach fettered

Think ye again! For from that den,

He’s writing more, and better!

 

Now, to those other oceans

That I told you he would span

I haven’t lied! He did bestride

If by ‘lectronic hand!

His disciples you will find

On every continent, save one

And I doubt not that he’ll have got

Some on Antarc’, ere done!

 

Though his Pillars have long fell

They did the stone and plan provide

To build a Vehicle that would take

Us all on one fantastic ride!

And if we’re forced to contemplate

The time when he them meets

I am proud to have been one

To study at his feet!

 

May it be many years anon

Ere that fell blow is dealt

For I am sure that more and purer

Blossoms are yet to be smelt!

From eastern shore of Pacifique

I to her western bound’ry gaze

With heart close attuned ta of the Man of La Moonta,

Casting prayers of thanks and praise.

 

And if that Giant’s footsteps

Have sunk tarns* where we might clean

The detritus of dysrhythmic verse

From off our poetry machine,

That’s but coincidental

To a greater lesson learned:

That Wisdom and Knowledge may e’er be found

Wherever our feet may be turned!

 

And so, thou Man of La Moonta

Accept this grateful cant

If sung, or in awe-struck silence

It’s  plaintive tone, my rant!

It’s been to me a privilege,

And yes, a pleasure, too

That I’ve been shown the foot of thy Throne

And welcomed there, by you!

*tarn: a small, deep lake

 

 

Mark Teague

September 15^th, 2012

Author's Note

In order to understand many of my allusions, you must first be aware that David lives in the town of Moonta, Southern Australia, and that his parents (the Pillars) were of Scotch and Welsh extraction, and both literarily minded. Written in typical Paget meter. God bless you, my brother!

Reviews

[David Lewis Paget]

This had me in stitches, Mark! What a fantastic, crazy tribute and in perfect 'Paget metre' too. I shall have to keep this one, for sure, to show my friends. You'll have them falling about all over the place.
Just one correction here, I live in South Australia, not New South Wales.
Brilliant, my friend, brilliant!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Wow! I can think of no one more deserving of such a tribute than David. Without his even knowing it, I know that he has inspired many. Your poem is brilliantly penned, obviously guided by an enchanted muse.

[SheWolfNLust]

Absolutely breathtaking and such a wonderful tribute, I love the gentle flow of your words of which have left me with such a powerful impact, I could feel your meter here and its something that I struggle with but I tries and feel I am learning some, any way that's another story in itself lol, brilliant word choices and I adored your imaginary here, such mastery and skill, an over all delightful read, thanks so much for sharing and it sure was a pleasure stopping by to read you again, bravo and very much so enjoyed xoxo

[Mark]

At thirteen eight-line stanzas, far and away the longest poem I've ever written...and can hardly imagine an object more fitting, not how long it might have become, had I done him fullest justice! Thank you once more for your generous praise.

[lesbeat]

Reminds me of Banjo Paterson (especially the Man from Ironbark). Nice lively feel.

[Mark]

I don't know who Banjo Paterson is, but the name sounds like he might have been an Aussie; the poem was actually written to honor favorite poet on this site, David Lee Paget, who had recently had a (Thankfully!) minor heart attack, and who IS an Aussie; perhaps I'll ask him about Paterson!

[WhiteWillow]

You had me at the title.

Little did I know that it was Mr. Paget's place of residence. A wonderful piece indeed.

[Mark]

If you're a fan of DLP, you probably understood many of the allusions.It's been suggested that I append footnotes to this, for the benefit of those who do not! Thanks for your praise!

[minisla]

enjoyed the style great read

[mcg03002]

Mark, this was a fun poem to read! I'll tell you the truth...the first time I read it through, I was utterly confused. Several times I had to open Google searches to look things up...eng-ga-lun and ochre-men, for example. You can imagine my frustration when search after search gave me no results. I removed the hyphens, and searched. I smashed the phonemes together to make the word engalun, and searched again. Nothing.

Now, after the third read, I think I got it. I should have read the author's note that you provided before I read the poem, lol. Once I realized this poem was a tribute to David Lewis Paget, I searched for HIM on google, and found a biography. I read that Mr. Paget had, until recently, been teaching English at Wenzhou Medical College, an arm of the Wenzhou University, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China. Click! He took the language and culture of England to the Chinese! Ha ha, I love it.
You are so talented, Mark. You've written reviews of my work in the past...and all of your comments have been so insightful and instructive. You inspire me to keep improving my writing skills.

[Mark]

Now, I'M confused! I certainly didn't think my stretching out the word "England" into three syllables (to make the meter work) would pose that extreme a problem as to warrant Google searches! Sometimes, perhaps, I get too cute for my own good, it seems. And as to "ochre-men"...and "saffron damsels", too, by the way: those are merely the skin tones of the occupants of that land. As to your other comments, I am very much flattered at your effusive praise. I shall get pack to your site shortly, to see if I can return in kind...Your name is Mike, is it not?

[Falling Leaf.]

Mr. Paget is one of my favorites on here. Honestly I hadn't read any of your work until this was requested to me. Now you're one of my favorites too :)

[Mark]

Well, what a fortunate lad am I! Are you one of David's friends in Australia?

[Falling Leaf.]

Nope. I only know him from on here

[Mark]

I shall get over to your page sometime this week and give you a look-see. Thanks for the nice word

[Lena M. P.]

Mark what a wonderful and fitting tribute to a gifted bard. David is a hard act to follow but he is a gem to enjoy even when he manages to scare the beegeebbers out of us. You have written a beautifully dedication.

[David Scott]

I'm not a part of your history but I am grateful to glimps the "band of brothers and sisters" born into the beauty of artistic expression. I will learn and read and someday write a fitting epitaph for those who have cleared pathways for me.
You have honored your friend!

[Katie Lynn]

I absolutely adored this! It definitely brought out a few giggles from me. This is the most brilliant tribute to the most brilliant man I've ever known. Amazing job!!

[Mark]

Thank you, Katie.

[Katie Lynn]

You're welcome. :) You did a truly amazing job on this. I too found out he had a heart only about a week ago, but I'm very glad he is doing better.