Friday, July 9, 2010

In Writing

in writing I cast my heart
very much alone
       in a void
       in a crevasse
in a labyrinth with a quill

castles all around me,
      left naked,
without the two buck toll
to pay the greedy gatekeeper
at the entrance to my soul

up going Jacobs ladder
     to scale the Kingdom’s wall
     I read a message in the mortar
of a prior writers fall -

taking focus on the moment
I glanced from where I came
      I saw Jesus in the junk-yard
      Buddha without shame –
corruption in the structure
only magnified the pain – what gain?

ascending upward
to the underground – what left unfound?
     but a virgin in a breadbox
     recording a world
     with no sound –

she motioned – enter
the apparition fell away
leaving a mirror and a mantra
only without prayer

and a writer rapt in parchment
         ink just laughing everywhere ..


bkmackenzie
copyrighted 2008

Posted for One Shot Wednesday - Where poets and writers meet...

This is a piece I wrote and had posted on Soul Intention - in 2008.....bkm

35 comments:

  1. very much like a tale of sorrowful journey, perhaps a journey to find new words, I don't know, whenever I like a piece of writing, I somehow lost my will to articulate, this is quite a wonderful piece to ponder over

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  2. that was pretty frickin amazing...love the structure and the flow is great...the imagery is top notch and had to smile at the journey of the writer...top notch!

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  3. Thank you lissa and Brian, I have always like this piece - I am glad you both liked it and thought it worth pondering, again thank you....bkm

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  4. I always never thought of myself as a writer or poet. For I wonder if I’ve paid my two bucks toll. Or am I not allowed to fill in all the castles and worlds left naked around me?

    I like the word quill you used. Taking me back when if you wanted to write you had to make your own quill. You’re in a labyrinth with only what you have, alone, and you must find your own way out.

    As a writer I all so saw the handwriting on the wall (in the mortar). Not only Publishers but all those in charge and their corruption, so what is there to gain? Why do we even try?

    The last two stanzas. Wow mirrors and mantra don’t have a prayer and writers without ink scary.

    I probably miss read your poem but it left many thoughts running throw my mind.
    Great Job.

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  5. thank you D_49- I believe you understood the piece very well...I wrote this during the time my brother was going through the process of seeking a publisher..it was long and painful..it also reminds me of a day I walked into a Borders and an author was there with books for a book signing and there was no one remotely interested in talking to her...I thought "what pain, what gain" - to stop writing is not an option - we write for the need of it and if we are to call it an art - then that is what should be produced.

    Thank you for your comments and for your time....blessings..bkm

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  6. This is a beautifully intense piece, loved the ending it made me chuckle.

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  7. saw you on oneshot and glad i swung back through to get the backstory in your comment...i ressonate....

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  8. There really are many meaning in this poem - aren't there. And the one holding the pen knows the story behind them all.

    Well done

    Thanks you for joining us at One Shot Wednesday

    Glad to have you with us.

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  9. Again she comes up with another masterpiece. You are truly a formidable poet and writer. one comparable to, i believe, W.B Yeats.

    great poem

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  10. Mory, I must say the is an incredible compliment...and I do not take it lightly....I am honored that you feel this way..and hope that you continue to enjoy my writing in the future...blessings and best to you....bkm

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  11. The rich material and the gorgeous metrics make this quite stellar. I like the virgin in the breadbox and Jesus in the junkyard . . . well all of it very much.

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  12. You've really got some beautiful material in this poem, and gorgeous meter and rhythm. Love Jesus in the Junkyard . . . well all of it.

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  13. This is so marvellously surreal. Meanings hidden in meanings hidden in ...

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  14. A beautifully wrought poem. You should be proud of it. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  15. This is a One Stop that should be put into discussion to see how each interprets then to hear your own thoughts as the author. I just love it.

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  16. Everyone, thank you, thank you and thank you... pleased you each have drawn something from this piece - will make the rounds and visit everyone...blessings...bkm

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  17. Beautiful poem...still mulling it over.

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  18. I absolutely loved the last two lines. I liked the whole thing, but those two lines make me smile because, regardless of everything, a writer loves to write.

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  19. Hi ya BKM...this was a fantastic share that has graced my screen today....there are so many great stanza's and lines to chose from that i would quite happily use myself!!..my favourite..but a virgin in a breadbox...excellent work..cheers Pete

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  20. Loved this poem. "ascending upward / to the underground" It's this type of complex, contradictory line: movement simultaneously up and down. Great depth and gut-level depiction to the allusions as well.
    cheers

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  21. Thank you all for your wonderful comments - a great blessing to be greeted with this morning and feast on along with my morning coffee...

    I appreciate One Shot Wednesday and all the hosts at One Shot for all their work in pulling this site together for the rest of us to share our work..

    Pete...Thank you so much for your words...I like that line too...bkm

    Dustus...Thank you and the allusions...yes, allusions...bkm

    Everyone have a great day...bkm

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  22. ...ink just laughing everywhere .. soo good!

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  23. what to say !!! today is my lucky day i guess .. one after another brilliant poems ! this was almost the icing on cake :)

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  24. I love how surreal it is and how the shape of the poem reflects the spiral staircase in the picture.

    I haven't made sense of why the lines were indented though... help?

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  25. "without the two buck toll
    to pay the greedy gatekeeper" - WOW!!! After reading these lines, it took me a few minutes to get to the subsequent lines.. Cuz I was thinking..REAL HARD!
    The images one sees within one's heart are so fascinating... and so contradictory to one another! And yet, they are all true..each one of them!
    Wow!!! I totally bow to you, and to this poem... Amazingly well-written!

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  26. Thanks, Thanks and more thanks to everyone, the indents Divisoria are only for texture you might say, a visual effect of its contridictions...blessings to everyone..bkm

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  27. wow...that all but it bears repeating WOW!

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  28. Oh, I love this. The flow and imagery so perfectly describes the writer's journey to within. For most, it's not an easy trip.

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  29. I love “ink just laughing everywhere.” I so often feel that way – my own writing is laughing at me. Maybe I got it right, but usually I couldn’t quite get to the heart of what I was trying to write – either way, I feel mocked by my own writing!

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  30. wonderfully brilliant imagery and flow. I thought this was marvelous :)

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  31. WOW, A five star poem..... wonderfully written you have command of the English Language and use it eloquently.

    Joanny

    came by one shot poetry

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  32. Powerful. Brings to mind Dylan Thomas "In my Craft or Sullen Art". Love: without the two buck toll
    to pay the greedy gatekeeper
    at the entrance to my soul

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  33. excellently written, my friend! loved it!
    http://mairmusic.wordpress.com/

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