We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

4.11.25

Subjectivity


As the world,

war-torn, whirls 

ever more dizzying

more chaotic


I dig my toes

into this patch of earth –

where life is still 

comparatively calm


disturbed only 

by annual threats

of heavy flooding 

or fierce fires.


Hilltop, suburban, 

here we stay 

safe … so far.



Written for Quadrille #235 at dVerse 

(44 words excluding title. Compulsory word: whirl.)



28 comments:

  1. YES. Nature is the only place to be right now. I could not agree more.

    De

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    1. Just not TOO close to the parts of nature which have flooding or burning possibilities!

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  2. "there's no place like home ... " xx, ren

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  3. Sound like a great place to escape. Lovely poem.

    Arcadia Maria

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  4. Sometimes, it is best to dig your toes in and hope for the best. Stay safe

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  5. Well done, Rosemary. One day at a time is all we have. Staying safe and secure is a blessing many do not have these days.

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  6. Good title that meshes well with your last line. With weapons of mass destruction existing, is anywhere safe anymore? Please let the pendulum swing back towards a peaceful earth.

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    1. Thanks for reminding me of the pendulum. That's a bit hard to remember during this present swing.

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  7. I love how you write "I dig my toes into this patch of earth That gives you quite a grounded and safe feeling in this chaotic world

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    1. It may be an illusion, but one must attempt to keep one's equilibrium somehow. Living in a beautiful place yourself, I expect you know the feeling.

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  8. I am digging my toes in too, Rosemary, although I think the chaos is getting closer, especially after the terrible stabbing on the train this weekend, and one yesterday in Norwich.

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    Replies
    1. Yes indeed, a nightmare scenario! May our toes hold.

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  9. I feel this as well... observing how things go to pieces.

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    1. It's a scary, depressing time to be looking at the state of the world.

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  10. "...so far" indeed. Less and less safety daily these days, eh? Fine work, R.

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    1. Thanks, Ron. It's bad when the elderly (like me) start thinking maybe we're lucky that we won't be around too much longer.

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  11. "I dig my toes/into this patch of earth –" I love the concrete clarity and stability of that image in the midst of chaos.

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  12. I'll have to dig my toes metaphorically as we just have too many damn ants! Nicely written 👏

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  13. Rosemary, that line about digging your toes into the earth really speaks to me — it feels like finding balance when the world won’t stop spinning.

    Much love,
    David
    SkepticsKaddish.com

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