I watch my mind
fall into fictions –
as a flower might drop
from a blossoming tree,
or a petal
from a single flower.
Reality’s an ugly weed.
Lacking power (since when
could poets save the world?)
I succumb to escape …
gradually losing all petals.
Written for Quadrille Monday 22 Sept '25, at dVerse.
I think that poets may change the world... but we will never see it because its effect is so small it takes eons to happen
ReplyDeleteNow there's an interesting thought! And if we postulate that the effect could be collective ...
DeleteWe may not save the world - but we are certainly 'saved' in a way by our kind and encouraging readers and the words we plant and grow over the years - Jae
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good point, Jae.
Delete"Reality’s an ugly weed." Yes! A deeply poignant and thought-provoking quadrille, Rosemary ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sanaa.
DeleteFiction versus reality ~~~ becomes more comforting for many of us, as we age I suspect. Well done, Rosemary.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right.
DeleteWhen reality is ugly, it does make one want to escape into fiction indeed.
ReplyDeleteSometimes to excess – or so I admonish myself.
DeleteReality can be a tough thing to witness - and sometimes it can hide in the metaphorical weeds (or petals?). And then there are those who espouse alternate realities or “alternate facts.” The question can become, is the truth hidden within the petals?
ReplyDeleteAn interesting reflection, Lilian. I dare say reality cannot truly be escaped – even for those of us who are blessed not to be living bang in the middle of the worst of it.
DeleteReality begs for escape.
ReplyDeleteQuite a lot of it does, yes.
DeleteSad but great poem, Rosemary. I wish we did have the power to change the world.
ReplyDeleteYvette M Calleiro :-)
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Oh yes indeed!
DeleteYeah poetry isn't going to save the world...just us poets saving ourselves by talking the truth - as much as we can.... I don't even know how true that is though...I feel the petals falling as well...
ReplyDeleteYes, I am coming to the conclusion that there is no prescription, no clear path; we just have to do the best we can, as we see it, with a mixture of hope that it works, and gratitude for what blessings we have.
DeleteI think fiction is just another way to try and change the world Rosemary, by giving us the chance to inhabit another's world or viewpoint, and like poems, each may only be a drop, but an ocean is made of drops so courage Rosemary! Brandish your pen...
DeleteThank you for this encouragement, and the excellent viewpoint.
DeleteVery nicely done! Your metaphor works so well. We can't save the world but we can call into question the injustices we see around us.
ReplyDeleteOh, very good point. Thank you!
DeleteThese days reality is getting uglier. I don't know about saving the world but we are surely chroniclers of our times.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is that. Thank you.
Delete