Paul Willason | + Follow Poet |
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Being Utterly Modern

There you are
gazing into the water 
as it coils around the pier, 
hoping to decipher 
its tidal language, divine
a message in the slow lift
and fall of the swell, 
the soft lapping sound echoing
through the dark shadows 
below.

But whatever is here
seems to have withdrawn
deeper into itself, far beyond 
where your senses can reach
or your uprooted mind can go, 
severed as it is 
from the origins
of its own creation.
You are of this age, 
utterly modern,
purged of myth  

and deaf to the spirits that once 
moved here in the water 
and roamed the land,
the sung sagas 
of your ancestors.
In the isolation 
of this cleared world 
a terrible silence has fallen
in which the only sound 
now is your own pulse 
imprisoned in the confines
of an ear.

Copyright © Paul Willason | Year Posted 2024

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Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 11/1/2024 9:47:00 AM Hello Paul, your evocative piece beautifully captures the disconnect between modern humanity and our ancestral roots. I like how the water and pier create a haunting atmosphere, emphasizing the protagonist's isolation. Your work invites deep reflection on our relationship with nature and our cultural heritage. After all, it all goes together. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel Login to Reply

Lin Lane Date: 10/31/2024 8:12:00 AM These lines are very deep seeded in mystery, Paul. I've always been fascinated by what lies beneath. Often thought of what I'd find if I could pull a Moses and part a section of the Mississippi River near me. What a great line is '... the only sound now is your own pulse imprisoned in the confines of an ear." I also liked, "You are of this age, utterly modern, purged of myth." Your poetry is a huge cut above the norm here. Login to Reply Paul Willason Date: 11/1/2024 5:15:00 AM Thankyou Lin for wading through this one...not an easy task as it has some complexities. Mythmaking, the imagination, a sense of the mystery of things are all very much the stuff of poetry. But you know that as one of the strengths of your work is the space and honor you give to imagination. A gift. Thankyou dear friend.