The latest form challenge at dVerse is the sestina
(based on a particular sequence of line endings over six six-line verses.)
(based on a particular sequence of line endings over six six-line verses.)
The back story is part of the inner journey of a close friend.
Also linking to the final Tuesday Platform at 'imaginary garden with real toads'.
Also linking to the final Tuesday Platform at 'imaginary garden with real toads'.
My Friend the Thinker
She spent a long time seeking God,
reaching out and listening,
wanting to find out for herself
just who and what God is.
Would He turn out to be evil?
Or is He truly Love? Is He Life?
She was turned away from her daily life
(the one she’d had) by illness – so, lots of time for God.
What do you do if you think God might be evil?
I guess you do some very serious listening.
After all, you wanted to know what really is.
You asked Him to acquaint you with Himself.
What if you find that your own and every other self
is not in fact having a separate life –
although then again, at the same time each one is –
but is a tiny part of God, created from God?
Would it drive you mad? Would you stop listening?
How would you feel to be made from a part of Evil?
In the end, she understood He is not evil;
or anyway not solely so. He is totality itself –
Universality, which contains it All. Are you listening?
God is, is, IS Life! the absolute everything of Life.
Some bits we call evil must be contained in God,
who encompasses whatever is.
So which bit of God are you? The question is
(this woman examined herself) are you a bit that is evil?
After doing her best to perceive the reality of God,
and conversing with Him at length, she also knew herself.
She could choose! And why choose Evil over Life?
‘I’m not mad!’ she said, to whoever was listening.
God can hear, but why should He need to be listening?
He already knows who she is.
And loves her, and wants her to be forever alive.
Which she wants for herself too; she isn’t here to be evil.
And so she is healing herself and evolving herself
and looking after the planet, and loving God.
No, I’m not her. But I’m listening. I know she’s not evil.
I know who she is. She is being her truest self.
She will have eternal life, thanks be to God.
Well-written reflection on the question we all ask ourselves on this life-journey. You used the form to its advantage. I think the core of what we strive for is here:
ReplyDeleteHe already knows who she is.
And loves her, and wants her to be forever alive.
This is an excellent use of the form. It read like a philosophical debate, with resolution at the end for the subject.
ReplyDeleteI will restrain myself from entering into a long philosophical theological debate.Needless to say I love these poems that raise these questions. God is good.Satan and his legions are evil powerful seductive forces grafted on to humanity which we all bear to different and excessive degrees. Here I go....best stop now:)
ReplyDeleteGood job on the sestina, Rosemary. It seems to be difficult to work with. I would map out my line ends first, with theme in mind for the word choices. Yours was easy reading, leave the form to us and the enjoyment of reading for us.
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Outstanding sestina! I agree wit Victoria. God knows who she is and loves her and wants her to live her best life. I think I know her and that she does live her best life filled with love and wonder.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Rosemary, the form is almost invisible, it works that well. Spiritual growth is a long personal road and there are so many paths to that hazy gold, most of them defined and rewarded by the going and not so much the arriving. What did we know, anyway? For your friend the thinker it must be carefully articulated, almost like scripture, and has great verticality. For me the observer learned as much as the observed.
ReplyDeleteThis is stunning Rosemary, and filled with such wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely perfect as a reflection,... the fact that it's a sestina is not noticeable, it flows so well. I have reached the same conclusion more or less even without a God... actually it makes it so much easier to live if what you see and sense is what is.... and then doing evil is after all not very comforting... :-)
ReplyDeleteSuch a glorious Sestina, Rosemary! 💖💖 I especially love; "God is, is, IS Life! the absolute everything of Life."😊
ReplyDeleteI remember doing similar soul searching several times in my life, and I imagine I'll do it again several more times, as my nature is to question. The side of good could use a hand, so good I'll be--at least for the most part. :D
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel to be made from a part of Evil - love the questions that come up when we start seeking the truth...
ReplyDeleteI like how you seamlessly laid out your questions, your thought process, conclusions, and plan going forth, all within the tight constraints of the form. Skillfully done! I could say more about the subject but that would take awhile :)
ReplyDeleteThat last comment was mine but forgot to switch from the blogger account to tao-talk one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't recognize the form here until I went back to the top after reading through. That's a great thing as it is difficult to write a sestina, great work! The form seems perfect for the topic here, as it kind of circles around like these thoughts and ideas might as the brain of the thinker tries to sort it all out.
ReplyDeleteReally well done and theme is deep and calls for one's relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteThe questions work well to keep the repetition from being too obvious. I like the way it flows down its own disjointed path, just the way an interior reflection does.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a reflective piece of poetry. So many questions to find answers to and do we ever really find the answers? Perhaps, at some point of the journey we find an understanding of god and love. I felt like I was walking a path towards enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteThe flow of the poem leads the reader easily into each stanza.