Sunday, August 20, 2017

TIME OF HARVEST -- Sunday's Whirligig / A SAD DAY -- Sunday Whirl Wordle 313/ Poets United Poets Pantry

TIME FOR HARVEST

lazy afternoons      the morning's work accomplished     water brought from the well

gulp from the dipper    a healing elixir               we quench the thirst

sharpen the blade         the heart continues to beat             without fear

though each day           we are a step closer               to the day we will not be

prepare what is to be wrapped      and put away       the butter melted



like the heart         when I think of you                mix ingredients for the cake

including treasures to be found        with the first cut       draw the blade across 

                                                                                                the frosted cake

think of winter            wrapped in white              a frosted landscape

it is your birthday       no surprise                         it happens every year

the leaves are not turning yet      time for harvest           which will be big this year



August 19, 2017






A SAD DAY


It is a sad day in august when the proper dress is a hood bring your torch

march and shout words too ugly to repeat even to whisper

someone's someone dies the following days filled with lies

the facts are the statues should come down placed into museums

a sad day they were erected long after the end of the Civil War those are facts



the issues are the south lost the war who is right

who is wrong a person should never own a person no matter the color

and this is what the fight is about people held by torture and chains

all people want to be free there is no one who would crawl to the chains

and ask to be enslaved it never happened the wounds are deep



they promise to never to forget many are left without a history except slavery

to gain stability we have to offer apology for the past

nothing to be proud of take down the flag the statues

we made a mistake and we are mistaken again by the man with the orange hair

August 20 2017





















20 comments:

Colonialist said...

Two thought-provoking productions.
Should the parts of history now seen to be despicable buried? That would scarcely leave anyone worthy of commemoration.
I am inclined to the view that historical symbols should be preserved to be viewed in the context they are now seen to deserve; not to be removed. One cannot erase history, nor should one try.

annell4 said...

Thank you Colonialist for your comments. But of course you know I disagree, because many of those statues were erected during the civil rights period, you must be aware that they are hurtful for the decedents of slavery. I do not suggest, they be destroyed, only removed to museums, and remember people will know, who can go to school and read a book. It is the history of the South, and I was raised in the South, but I would never own a flag and would never want a statue. I was taught to honor General Lee, but he is not one to be proud of, though he was a hero of the war, he made the wrong choice. The Civil War, like all other wars, hurt many people, and we are still fighting it today. It happens….

ZQ said...

Two Excellent pieces.
ZQ

Susan said...

These. This day. WOW! I can't read more after this. "gulp from the dipper a healing elixir" And then the sad day, the necessary changes. With so much work to be done, well might we bake that cake and think of stepping a day closer to what must be wrapped.

indybev said...

You speak with such a wise southern voice. It is anathema to me that the KKK and Swastika-wearing abominations can march in our city streets. Woe is us!

Mary said...

Two powerful writes. In the first poem I am struck by the words "We are a step closer to the day we will not be." Indeed we must keep this in mind as we live our lives.

As for the second one, so very timely. It is definitely sad when people feel it is again all right to wear a hood and carry a torch. I thought those days were behind us, but the man with orange hair seems to appreciate this fashion....or condone it with his words. We do need to apologize for the past, not find a way to again relive its most ugly parts.

annell4 said...

You have done something very special with the words.

annell4 said...

Thank you Bev. No, I don’t think our history should be erased, but it should be confined to museums, schools, and books. Now that I have said that, should battlefields, such as Gettsburg, be celebrated? Holy ground? I guess we have to remember, people are complex, not all good, and not all bad. We make mistakes, even as countries we make mistakes, hopefully we

annell4 said...

Well said Mary.

brudberg said...

Yes, I have caught up and read about the statues... no they shall not be torn down, but put into museums and explained for what they are. So much to agree with this....

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Those statues should be sent to museums.. such power and truth in your verse, Annell.

Donna@LivingFromHappiness said...

Two very distinct and powerful poems but Sad Day has become a new fav of mine....the last lines say it all....

'they promise to never to forget many are left without a history except slavery
to gain stability we have to offer apology for the past
nothing to be proud of take down the flag the statues
we made a mistake and we are mistaken again by the man with the orange hair'

We are now left to look into the mirror of our white privilege staring back at us....the least we can do is offer an apology and take these symbols erected in hate down....the orange clown needs to go too!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

I love both of these poems. I can imagine the sadness of a celebration day of a loved one who is no longer here. And your second poem is right on..........especially the closing lines. Sigh. I never thought I'd live to see what we are seeing and hearing these days. I thought we had come farther than that.

tonispencer said...

I totally agree. We cannot erase history as it happened - it is not a fictional poem. We learn from our mistakes, hopefully. As an American Southerner, I truly believe these memorials should be left alone but with a note of context given beside the statue. No we cannot erase history. to erase history is to try to wipe away all the pain and heartaches of the time - to ignore that something happened and if one wipes it away, it will all go away. And...the statues bring money to the city from tourists just as the statues in Europe bring money. Tiberius? Statues erected to honor people who brought about the Inquisition? We aren't the only one with black marks on our history. and many of the statues in my town were erected well before the civil rights years...and there have been many such as Maggie Walker and Arthur Ashe who stand in line with the others...

tonispencer said...

The first poem is so sad, celebrating the birthday of a lost loved one. Beautiful work.

Old Egg said...

The rest of the world looks on in amazement. What are they hoping to achieve by hurting the needy, reliving the horrors of civil war. We thought that the US was a leader of nations who we could rely on not turn our faces away in disbelief. Your first poem Annell however is one of everlasting love not letting go of the one you held so dear...and why should you? As this way when you write for them they are with you always.

Wendy Bourke said...

Two fascinating - thoughtful and thought provoking - pieces with powerful closes on both. Wonderful writing!

Thotpurge said...

gulp from the dipper... what an image... a beautiful poem.

Sumana Roy said...

Love both the poems. We often forget that earthly days are just a brief sojourn, 'to the day we will not be'. And our days are 'sad days' these days, all over the world.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

I have a feeling that we, too, should prepare to be wrapped and put away at the appropriate time. But who know when that will be?

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