Dear Earth, you are a sacred aqueous Isle
in a dark and endless sea of universe.
You may never reveal your strategy.
We may be bound by genetic code
to the presupposing chemical destiny
of one great astrophysical master plan
for all living things. We, who represent
your malaise, your chronic infestation;
we, like a fleeting itch in your long life,
will never comprehend it. But, in truth
you know too well that we can never
understand more than one percent
of all there is to know. You contain
the knowledge that is beyond us.
We are like a rash on your skin.
One day, we know you will
raze all of our delusions,
prepare us for the day
when a blinding light
will inoculate you
and inform us of
a moment when
extant humans
will, at last be
prepared to
distinguish
the l i e s
f r o m
truth
and
if so
are
w e
m e r e
a t o m i c
p a r t i c l e s
inside a temporal chalice?
© 2014 John Anstie
[ The chalice comes in many iconic forms, none more so than the Holy Chalice, or Holy Grail, said to have been used to dispense its sacred content at the Last Supper. Whether the above title prompts this as your first thought or whether it is the ‘poisoned’ variety, it is for you to decide how you interpret its meaning. You can then preface the title, ‘Chalice’, with the missing word. It has to be said that the above shape represents a chalice with proportions that are rather slim compared to the traditionally chubby looking vessel, which better defines the name. Perhaps this is a good thing, making it as easier to read, like the narrow columns of a newspaper, perhaps ..? ]
JOHN ANSTIE (My Poetry Library and 42) ~ is a British writer and poet, a contributing editor here at Bardo, and multi-talented gentleman self-described as a “Family man, Grandfather, Occasional Musician, Singer, Amateur photographer and Film-maker, Apple-MAC user, Implementation Manager, and Engineer”. He has participated in d’Verse Poet’s Pub and is a player in New World Creative Union as well as a being a ‘spoken-voice’ participant in Roger Allen Baut’s excellent ‘Blue Sky Highway‘ radio broadcasts. John has been blogging since the beginning of 2011. He is also a member of The Poetry Society (UK).
*****
John has also been involved in the recent publication of two anthologies that are the result of online collaborations among two international groups of amateur and professional poets. One of these is The Grass Roots Poetry Group, for which he produced and edited their anthology, “Petrichor* Rising“. The other group is d’Verse Poet Pub, in which John’s poetry also appears The d’Verse Anthology: Voices of Contemporary World Poetry, produced and edited by Frank Watson.
* Petrichor – from the Greek pɛtrɨkər, the scent of rain on the dry earth.
Beautiful! There is also the idea of chalice being the bearer of life.
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Yes, Terri, you are right to remind us of this. I apologise for my cynical tone, which was perhaps because some of the life it has borne has messed it up a bit!
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Lovely! And the chailice is often used as a metaphor for the womb as in Riane Eisler’s historical exploration, “The Chalice and the Blade,” in which she presents her thesis that warfare and the war of the sexes are not biolgically ordained or even divinely ordained.
I appreciate the meditative honesty of this piece. Sometimes we have to face the truth about our place – and Earth’s place – in the natural course of things. Well done and so impressed with the shape of it. What patience! 🙂 Bravo, John! Masterful.
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Thank you, Jamie. Must say I didn’t know about the metaphorical womb! Interesting thesis about warfare; would that it were true. Trouble is, I think that testosterone’s influence on competitive aggressive behaviour is biologically ordained 😦
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I don’t know what the answer is. Wish I did.
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Reblogged this on My Poetry Library and commented:
Haven’t put much out there lately, not that I haven’t been writing, just that I’m becoming more critical of my own work. This is the result of some more serious thought on a subject that is at the roots of my philosophical outlook and observations of human behaviour … and a bit of fun really.
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This is just gorgeous, John–both in shape and message. Makes me want to write my own letter to Earth.
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Beautiful, a work of art. Leaves me wondering….
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