Wednesday, February 24, 2010

BELIEVING

RWP#115..



BELIEVING NOT KNOWING

believing to be washed away
to some unknown place
not knowing if my robes
will be clean or dry
believing there will be poets
in their solitude
not knowing if there will be angels
that make me cry

believing to have insight
into some sacred mind
not knowing if the journey
will be covered in gold
believing it will be a pure land
of sober drunks
not knowing their language
of stories never told

believing the air will be pierced
with beauty and jazz
not knowing if the notes
will be felt or heard
believing Satchmo will blow his horn
along Bourbon towards Boogie street
not knowing if it will be birdland
or the land of absurd

16 comments:

Paul Oakley said...

Wayne, I love the way you juxtapose every belief with an uncertainty. That is the truth about reality and our experience of it.

I am particularly fond of this juxtaposition:

believing there will be poets
in their solitude
not knowing if there will be angels
that make me cry


Beautiful!

anthonynorth said...

The uncertainty shines out of this in a certain kind of way. Which just shows the uncertainty of belief.
Enjoyed this.

Anonymous said...

I like the way you switched the prompt's "not believe" for "not knowing", swapping negation for possibility.
Not sure if I'd like a pure land of sober drunks, myself.
I'd rather hope for a sign at the gate with: oh, come on. we're nothing like they said.

Anonymous said...

love the ponderance...and now I wonder if the notes will be felt or heard, hmmm? I truly enjoyed this

Anonymous said...

Wayne, this has soul. The juxtaposition gives it such a searing intensity.

rallentanda said...

Well I guess you don't know then!If I go first I'll get a message to you.
Message in a Bottle...

Raven's Wing Poetry said...

What catches my eye (and ear, as I tend to play the audio of each poem in my head as I read) is your subtle use of rhyme in each stanza and your use of contrasts. Also, this bit of irony caught me: "believing it will be a pure land
of sober drunks". Well done.

-Nicole

Anonymous said...

So beautiful! Lyrical, restrained, balanced, profound, and that ending is so great: the specifics of New Orleans, and then that wonderful "birdland" and "absurd." The poem presents a stance of equilibrium -- the speaker will be at peace no matter what unfolds. A very mature, wise, enlightened acceptance of all that be, poised with an open heart to everything. A gift of a poem.

Tumblewords: said...

A wonderful present of poem! Lovely, lyrical, magical and full reality.

flaubert said...

Wayne, Love it! What a lovely and fun poem. I like this:
"believing Satchmo will blow his horn
along Bourbon towards Boogie street"

Enjoyed this!
Pamela

Karen said...

I love the juxtaposition of knowing and unknowing, certainty with uncertainty. This is surprising and interesting.

Erin Davis said...

Hmmmm. Happy are those who believe and do not know! Thanks for this, Wayne!

James Brush said...

I really like the way you interplay belief and uncertainty. I love the last lines.

Anonymous said...

Yeh.. life is a see-saw sometimes.. most times. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I love this, Wayne!

love this part especially:

believing to be washed away
to some unknown place
not knowing if my robes
will be clean or dry

~angie

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