Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sacred Stones


stones fell from your mouth
heavy,
sharp, jagged stones
unground by time; young earth
stones -
frantically I collected them, supplicating
to understand
to read
meaning in their veins –
no wisdom
no purpose, no
pause
to these stones -
cutting they bled my soul red; staining
the rock ...

anxious to
build something sacred, pure
from the cruelty; constructing wall upon wall
piling the fossilized stones,
encircling,
sealing until
lull, no longer able to experience
weight from stones
falling-

I hang a crucifix
within
the inner walls, focus on the wounds
await
metamorphosis

bkmackenzie
copyrighted


Posted for Poets United - Think Tank Thursday #14 - Wall

26 comments:

  1. wow. the stones falling from the mouth is a powerful image...building a refuge from them another...hope that metamorphosis finds you...

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  2. This is really strong and powerful, wonderful images.I love the ending where you await metamorphosis. Fantastic poem!

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  3. bkm I love the last stanza of this especially!
    Nice!
    Pamela

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  4. I love this. "...stones/unground by time" such lovely imagery and powerful thought: "anxious to/ build something sacred, pure/from the cruelty..."
    Oh, you have. You definitely have.

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  5. Some really powerful images in this one! Loved where you took the prompt! =)

    -Weasel

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  6. Hi BK,

    Thanks for the visit! I enjoyed reading your poems. They are very thought provoking and soothing. Thanks for sharing.

    Anne-Marie

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  7. stones hold such energy, just their mention alone gives more energy to your piece. It is very powerful. I really likes this one

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  8. The images that filled my mind in this reading were of a person trying so hard to build good from very bad things...those painful little stones that we use to build magnificent edifices that are nothing more than cells to shut out the pain, and which always shut us in instead. Fantastic poem; very, very well done!

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  9. Words like jagged stones ... powerful imagery here.

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  10. What I think about in response to your poem is how many times humans try to build something sacred from cruelty. Destroy something, then rebuild again. And the crucifix component at the end caused me to think about many things...one of them being imprisoned hardened criminals who sometimes find God in prison, hoping / praying for their own metamorphosis. Perhaps all of this is more than you intended!

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  11. await
    metamorphosis

    Absolutely love those lines! Great lesson, bkm!

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  12. This piece reminds me of the book, by Susan Griffin, Chorus of Stones. A really brilliant and amazing work. Thanks.

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  13. Amazing imagery and metaphor in this. Read it three times. It's a beautiful piece.

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  14. signed bkm,

    A very different use of the Thursday Poets United Prompt.
    Reflecting life itself, with pain,injury and suffering.
    And as with life, much stronger for the future...having come through experiences..

    Best wishes, Eileen

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  15. Your last stanza captured me in a very powerful realm :D~ When there is pain, there is torment and suffering. Thank for sharing^^

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  16. Wow bkm. Potent imagery to create a story of suffering.

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  17. stones fell from your mouth ... just brilliant, such a strong poem!

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  18. Excellent imagery. I love the stones falling from the mouth. Way to start an amazing poem!

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  19. Bkm this is such a powerful piece! Your imagery and beautiful words always amaze me...such a awesome talent that you have! :-)

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  20. Thank everyone...glad so many people liked it....bkm

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  21. I love this, "Stones fell from your mouth"...
    Yes, stick and stones make break my bones...
    YOU evoked, the raw pain and such beautiful imagery~ Amazing!

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  22. A poem with strong images that I enjoyed for itself but I think it deserves a little critical analysis. It asks a profound question.
    'supplicating
    to understand
    to read
    meaning in their veins'
    (Please tell me what is happening)
    Then,
    'focus on the wounds
    await
    metamorphosis'.
    (Are you ever going to permanently fix this mess?).

    Are we sure there will be metamorphosis?
    The myths say yes, the evidence says probably not, but at a funeral yesterday, the key word was 'hope' and it seemed to help some.

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  23. Stafford, oh dear...fix the mess..it is quite messy...it is not? the veins are the veins in the stones...like the veins of mineral like the beautiful Australian stones, Kaynite and Gaspeite... - hoping to find some reason...through reason is probably well hidden... and Metamorphosis...well it (to me ) is a personal choice..and hope does play a great part in that...sprinkled with a little faith in something stronger than a stones throw..bkm

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  24. Hi bkm, great imagery as others have noted. The metamorphosis always comes but do we always become what we want?

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  25. rch, we may not become what our minds thinks we should...but i do believe we become what our soul projects....bkm

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