They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
Hoarse visions and misty revolutions –
Shrivelled, turbid and warm,
Drip down civilization’s neck,
Littering mausoleums
Of forgotten gold and silver.
Cruelty sweet and apathy sour,
Flow out of these
Crusty cracks and ivory paths
Handcrafted to perfection, so
They may yield the curves of withered lives.
Placid as a water mirror
And sharp as forgotten promises,
These breaths of old,
Scatter the winds
To whispered worlds of tranquillity.
Fallen at the altar of apathy,
Souls depart in search
Of emerald worlds,
Hoping refuge is safeguarded
By beings who emulate Adam’s ale.
(featured image from Openverse – Water carvings in Africa)
Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.– Bruce Lee
The above poem was written in response to the Wea’ve Written Weekly; W 3 poetry prompt hosted by David @ The Skeptic’s Kaddish. This week’s prompt given by Sylvia Cognac was to ‘Write a poem that contains the word ‘water‘. Please feel free to join in!
Well, that felt wildly depressing. I’m not sure how it comes across but for me, I simply meant it to be a portrayal of a dystopian world where governments have fallen, climate patterns have gone hazardous and there’s a dearth of natural resources (forgotten gold and silver). And I put forward the idea that a lot of what the world is going through, is a product of widespread apathy.
I end the poem on a comparatively (haha!) hopeful note mentioning that those who remain (sort of) go in search of green worlds where the residents are flexible or adaptable like water and don’t always seem to wreak havoc so they can have things their way and instead live in harmony with nature (emulate Adam’s ale).
So, that was it! Please feel free to share your interpretations – I’d absolutely love to hear them!
Thoughtfully yours,
D
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