Monday, August 28, 2017

On A bridge


For Poetry Monday, I decided to add a picture and large print to a poem posted 12/13/09, stemming from one of many myths about King Midas. The myth, in brief: Apollo had a dispute with Midas and punished him with donkey ears. Midas was understandably embarrassed and hid them under a turban.  His barber knew the secret but it burdened him, so he went to a meadow, dug a hole, whispered the story into it, then back-filled --hoping to be rid of it.  Reeds grew in the meadow, and began whispering "King Midas has ass-ears."  Wind carried the news everywhere.

 On A bridge

(Sunday, December 13, 2009)

I am amazed at 
What things mean.
Devices, by which
The impossible is 
Seen, surround the soul.
What is secret when
Wind and rattling reeds
Repeat what is
Whispered in a hole?

8 comments:

  1. Imagine how much further the 'secret' would have spread in this day and age.....it would be on you tube, the nightly news, spread to the far corners of the earth. There ARE no secrets anymore. I wish I had your ability to say so much in so few words.

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    1. Indeed, Delores, the stories about King Midas are pre-Islamic, pre-Greek, perhaps even prehistoric and that is amazing to me --but even more amazing is how some of them prefigured our modern mass-media.

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  2. These days the only way to keep a secret is to keep you mouth shut and selfies are a no-no.

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    1. Agreed dear Emma. Lately I have read that even childrens' dolls are spying on them --which cannot be true, can it?-- and yet, and yet the reeds are rattling.

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  3. And what is wrong with donkey's ears? (she said self-consciously) ...

    Just kidding. But you knew that, I hope!

    As usual, you say so much in such few words. Thanks for contributing to Poetry Monday, Geo.

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    1. Nothing wrong with donkey's ears, Jenny --I think they're fun! You make poetry fun too.

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  4. That's a great photo to come with the poem.

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    1. Thanks, Lux. Cerquozzi was a great painter and I was lucky to find this photo.

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