Don't Tell Me

"All men are children, and of one family. The same tale sends them all to bed, and wakes them in the morning." - Thoreau

Don't tell me that ...

There isn't a way.

The broken don't pray.

Night doesn't yield to day.

Hearts don't go astray.

Tears don't ask why.

Stars don't own the sky.

Waves don't fall and rise up again.

Eternity needs to know when.

The moon doesn't pull.

The crowd ate and wasn't full.

The blind can't see.

The world loves me.

The lame can't walk.

Wind doesn't talk.

Light can't appear.

Heaven isn't near.

Don't tell me that ...

Roses don't have thorns.

Rams can't sharpen their horns.

The mountains don't care.

Wild beasts don't dwell in a lair.

Rain never falls.

Angels don't call.

Eagles can't soar.

Thunder shouldn't roar.

The earth doesn't have a soul.

Hell's not in a hole.

This is all there is.

We are not his.

Blood isn't red.

My saviour is dead.

I'm ruled by sin.

Faith can't win.

... Don't tell me ...

Author's Note

"The coward wants resolution, which the brave man can do without. He recognizes no faith above a creed, thinking this straw by which he is moored does him good service, because his sheet anchor does not drag." - Thoreau

Reviews

[andrew mitchell]

Nice deep write Pete, sometimes we don't want to hear the truth, we distance ourselves hoping it will go away, or we just put it off til its too late! It's easy to lose faith, who would have a God that sees so much suffering and yet does nothing except the promise of a better afterlife, this doesn't gel with me. lol Good write Pete and I'm waffling on as I do! I do love Thoreau lines!

[Pete]

thanks andrew! he's got some of the best lines i've ever read. your thought are appreciated. will be 'round as soon as i can ... :)

[A. Kim Spradling]

Nice, very nice! I quite like your work! I like how the list carries its own melody.
Thought provoking!
Thank you! Nice read!

[Pete]

thank you Belle. very sweet of you to say. your thoughts are appreciated. i will be 'round to sample your work as soon as i can, promise. thanks again for stopping in on this ... :)

[sette]

very deep writing pete and i just believe that truth will always prevail so no room for cowards who are afraid to admit their mistakes and try to weave lies out of it.

[Pete]

you are very wise sette. takes raw courage to face the truth but those who walk in it are blessed for eternity. thank you! ... :)

[sette]

you are welcome

[steppenwolf]

I'm amazed at the similarities between the ways we write and think. This poem is a kind of announcement to the world; that we are alive and living and have not given up hope. There is a definite connection to Thoreau in the way you make plain your individuality.

[Pete]

smiling ... in the final analysis all we have is hope. thank you steppenwolf, you get it and your sweet thoughts are appreciated ... :)

[Einstein Noodle]

yes! don't rain on my cloud ;) its all about Faith and acknowledging the obvious creative flow of the world around us ... nay sayers are abundant when anyone decides to walk out of the cave ...nice thoughts to take with me into the day ... i actually remember when that video came out (i am stuck in the 50-60s music scene) i haven't taken much note of all the new music artists but i remember her ;) each of your lines is a nugget of truth to crack open and ponder ...see whats applicable to me-self
E.

[Pete]

smiling ... thank you E. i too love music. touches the soul.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14 KJV

blessings ... :)

P.

[Einstein Noodle]

yes.... thank you for that quote my friend!!

[Ras Kibo]

Nice words. Contemplate the divine. Bless.

[Pete]

indeed Ras. thank you so much ... :)

[Kelly Scheppers]

A deep scenario of thought always goes down better with a good cup of coffee. Your appreciation of Thoreau equals that of mine, for Keats. I can see the inspiration quite definitively!

[Pete]

i can't explain it but from the time i first learned about Thoreau and started reading him he resonated with and inspires me like no one else as if we were cut from the same cloth. used to live near Walden Pond and would go there and swim where he swam, walk where he walked and see what he saw. his spirit lives there in those woods and his words are forever in me. i can appreciate your connection with Keats - these men touch our souls with their words. thanks Kelly! ... :)

[Kelly Scheppers]

...riveting thoughts, Pete. Perhaps we are the lucky ones! I don't know about you, but I certainly feel Keats surging through me every now and then. Yes, I do believe they have touched our souls in some extraordinary way!