Duality

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. - Thoreau

and so my life is a splintered cross hanging 'round my neck

pebbles and shells washed up on the shore

out to sea and anchored forevermore

old and smooth

young and jagged

spirit willing but soul ragged

alternating between lead, rhythm and bass

a royal straight flush minus the ace

i hold a nonnegotiable check

it's already endorsed, so what the heck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt-CX3k0PYw

Author's Note

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Thoreau

Reviews

[R.E. Ray]

Pete, your poem speaks to the composition and beauty of art. From destruction comes creation, all the broken pieces reassembled as something original. I think that's the beauty of the individual, his/her spirit and soul, especially the dreamers who don't quit, despite their stumbles. It's truly not what happens to you in life that defines you, it's how you react to it. You can either lie in the shards or you can make life art. That's what I take from this poem. The words, the image, the music all echo the strength of the human spirit.

As a side note, the broken shells and pebbles on the beach reminded me of the tabby finish on a house I owned In coastal Georgia in the early 2000s. Tabby was a stucco-like finish made with beach shells. It created such a unique and artsy house. It's another example of what we can do with the remnants nature leaves behind.

[Pete]

damn, i don't need descriptions with you around. yes, troubles and problems are inevitable. you are 110% correct about our reactions to such things in life - is what defines us for sure. a phoenix rises from the ashes and shards. how cool about that tabby-finish beach house - would love to see it ... :)

our friend mr. thoreau wrote, “However mean your life is, meet and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are."

[barleygirl]

Typically, I would criticize "mixed metaphors" but it's clear your intentional mixing is well-designed to make your point & you make it well. I love the vivid imagery in your chosen artwork as well as your words, showing how scrambled & chunky life can feel at times. It's difficult to watch people try to boil issues down to some black-and-white adversarial equation (very divisive & happening constantly) when life is always a boiling cauldron of everything mixed together, good & bad & almost-good & almost-bad. Love your thought-probing here! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

i've been obsessing about the beach lately in the throws of this heat wave. started a beach write and it morphed into something more or less. thanks for taking a dip ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

It is the way we approach life that matters. It is no bed of roses and there are plenty of sharps to contemplate on our journey. Knowing that and being resilient helps. The mood of the ocean changes constantly. You win some and lose some. That's where you took me Pete.

Chris

[Pete]

thanks chris. indeed - we never know what will ebb and flow with the tide. the only thing we do know is that it will roll in and out. our attitude & response is the only thing we can control ... :)

[Ruth]

Sometimes we dwell on the whys and hows in life and acceptance does make it seem more simple to walk through the hazy days and muddy maze at times...living is an art and at times damn hard to balance but what other option is there...gotta keep turning corners :)

[Pete]

yes ruth. i'm one of those people who doesn't like ups and downs. i expect an even keel but life has its way no matter. i need to get better at making lemonade when i'm handed lemons (especially in this awful heat) ... :)