Get Your Premium Membership

The Ambassadors - Hans Holbein the Younger

Poet's Notes
(Show)

Become a Premium Member and post notes and photos about your poem like Di11y Da11y.


I appreciate knowing nothing trying to let the weight of the world rest somewhere out of sight viewable only through a glass tube or a scientific device operated with skill alongside this I will avoid men with hats you'll know the story of the senses lose one and another is heightened perception compensates for my lack of knowledge instinct shows up due to my lack of preparation I survive somehow despite myself facts or feeling both are wrong even if mapping the stars or the weather the more we look closely the less we're aware of so, deciding what life is based on any perception other than a steadfast and true self account that beautiful, in the moment existence well, perhaps it's torture I cannot be sure because of my innate disadvantage of being a freewheeling human anamorphic perspective subverts the known nothing is reality perception 'facts' everything constantly shifts to remains unknowable even death there are truths likely a load of rubbish but for the potential joy of thinking about them (I guess) see that skull if you tilt your screen? it's a metaphoric Donald Trump offering you a hat and a slice of pie whilst leaching all the humanity from your fleshy body I'm maybe off track it's so easy to be back on track get an A* play a tune on the lute despite its broken string all without ever getting to the point of it all is it existentialism - I've looked it up a thousand times is it brokenness - breaking things lets the light in after all back to the painting we are the original machines to be overtaken by ourselves in our striving to know inviting our own redundancy by invention undone by ourselves by efforts to halt it electing idiots with 4 word election campaigns who end the world because we thought we were once great and could be again... or at least better than someone else it all seems so impossible on a sunny day that there are dark rooms with heavy gowned men still believing they can do all the thinking but then, I'm usually distracting myself during my quiet drift to the grave (via several countries and a number of pointless but glorified personal achievements in the grand scheme of things) so I don't really think about it

Copyright © | Year Posted 2025




Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 4/9/2025 12:00:00 AM
Dear DD This is such a profound and meaningful write that somehow resonates with me, sometimes i prefer not knowing facts or feelings or opinions, as both sometimes depend of perspectives and how one sees things, and it can vary. The color of truth seems to be different from individual to individual! This is so very philosophical and so powerful for the way youv delivered your thoughts so poetically! Made me smile as i read you avoid men with hats! Hah deep metaphor! And i love “ we are the original machines to be overtaken by ourselves in our striving to know” reminds me of carl jungs concept of individualism to some extent. Very intelligent write this is! Pleasure reading your poem! Sending you light always
Login to Reply
Da11y Avatar
Di11y Da11y
Date: 4/9/2025 9:00:00 AM
Thank you for you insightful comments Ink! I think the men in hats are those in the painting, MAGA hats and the bizarre coincidence that people who cut me up driving seem to always wear a hat in the car lol. Perception is so hugely influenced by the individual and everything going on around them and like you say opinion too. It means truth is quite a transient thing. We do seem a little damned if we do (AI) and damned if we don't (the backwards steps of politics) in terms of the future of humanity but let's just be ok for now and see how it goes is my take. So intrigued by your Jung reference and how that interacts with the changing direction of individuality generally. It feels like there's a whole new study required to take diversity into account. Thank you for your great comment
Date: 4/8/2025 10:30:00 AM
The men in white coats and hats think they know it all, the common man means nothing to them. Some of their kind (the trump's and musks of the world) need men in white coats to take them away, Tom
Login to Reply
Da11y Avatar
Di11y Da11y
Date: 4/8/2025 10:57:00 AM
Definitely can't argue with that Tom! I'm not sure where all the reasonable people went. Thank you for your comment :)
Date: 4/8/2025 9:04:00 AM
A brilliant piece of writing here Dilly, with raw honesty that takes nothing for granted, because nothing can be taken for granted, other than the fact we are sentient creatures trying to make sense of mortality and its limitations, love the way you use the anamorphic skull, as a metaphor for Trump and his imaginary slogan; those gowned men in the painting probably wear white coats and hard hats these days smashing particles (breaking things) trying to shed light on the fundamental building blocks of the universe, an amazing poem that thoroughly resonates with me, and a most definite Fave, cheers David
Login to Reply
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 4/8/2025 11:23:00 AM
I think on the grand scale, human consciousness is a fundamental part of the universe in an attempt to reason for itself, so we’re useful in that sense; but we must also provide for ourselves and that’s where all the problems arise from, greed, war, etc! It’s difficult to be optimistic with the mad eejit’s that are running the whole show :)
Da11y Avatar
Di11y Da11y
Date: 4/8/2025 9:44:00 AM
You're very kind David and I'm delighted with a fave :) the painting was done in 1533, I wonder how many times since then the end has been nigh? Are humans useful for anything or on borrowed time? Maybe we'll be put out to pasture once our work is done and it won't be so bad after all lol. Definitely not worth thinking about! Cheers :)
Date: 4/8/2025 4:23:00 AM
Dilly, I think perception and instinct are usually better sources of knowledge than anything men in hats and/or wearing black robes could possibly offer in the way of truths. Sometimes broken things need to be put back in working order. Sometimes best discarded. We may all be slowly drifting into oblivion, but some of us not so quietly.
Login to Reply
Lane Avatar
Lin Lane
Date: 4/8/2025 5:55:00 AM
Sounds like a plan. I've sunshine but no hammock. Move over.
Da11y Avatar
Di11y Da11y
Date: 4/8/2025 5:52:00 AM
Ahh there's too many with a MAGA baseball cap and a tabloid newspaper thinking they've got the equivalent of a doctorate for the common man. Too awful to think about (alongside all the other ways we're doomed from the other end of the spectrum). All we have is this minute and spending mine in a hammock in the sunshine :)

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry