Tollund Man

Ancient One,

breath cut short

by leather noose.

Your prone form carefully placed

into a peat bog

to be compressed,

preserved,

drowning

as the centuries pass

like minutes.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

some customs last too long...hanging for one...but there was no electric rope...

the man is preserved in the bog, just like customs are preserved...

but our breath will be cut short...and as poets we wonder if our legacy might be preserved in the ink...

i love the brevity of the lines here...much said in few words.

j.

[Zugzwang]

Yes, some things do indeed last too long and never seem to end despite our wanting them to. While others we would love to preserve are subjected to inevitable decay. But our words? Oh, I hope they live on...
I found the image of the Tollund Man very compelling, inspired by S.eamus Heaney's poems, read quite some time ago (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have used such a similar title!! oh, well).
But my favourite is still 'Digging'
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Jacob.
Z.

[Gaia Octavia]

I liked this piece a lot. Particularly because minutes pass like centuries quite frequently, but in this case the opposite has happened for him and it was a very well-thought and haunting way to describe the preservation of such an ancient soul.

[Zugzwang]

The image of the Tollund Man is a very compelling one, and I'm glad you liked the poem.
Seamus Heaney wrote a poem about him and other bog mummies. Great stuff.

[alifeacoustic]

The name of this piece rang a bell with me, but I had to google to see what it was. Then I remembered a documentary I had seen on it and totally got what you were saying. They actually mistook him for a recent murder victim he was so well preserved, just like he fell asleep and all that time passes until he is discovered, with little sign of time having lapsed.
Great piece.

[Zugzwang]

Yes, that's right! Initially they thought he was a murder victim, but later decided that he was a human sacrifice.
His face is so peaceful, it really is like he's asleep. That's what is so amazing about him.
Thanks for the comment!
Z.