He who is
devoid of the power to forgive is wrapped in arms of distraction
so absorbing that he is
devoid of the power to love,
captivated by the seductions of
pride, rage, and hurt.
These constant companions,
squeeze close.
Strange monsters, they Rule.
Monsters have No time
to breathe serenity, No time
to gaze at the stars or
to sniff morning air.
They nibble food laced with
shame, fear, sorrow and regret.
As the moon pulls the tides
and baby wolves cry in hunger,
monsters grow weary.
With three eyes open
you may glimpse a release
and murmur:
“There is some good where I thought none could dwell. In the worst of us beats a heart ready to love.”
And under a full moon you know
some evil lurks like a dormant virus
in the best of us.
~ ~ ~
In response to dVerse Poetics: “Bold Tributes“. “…tonight we are going to be bold in our truth-telling by illuminating powerful quotes that inspire social justice, global peace, or human rights.” The challenge is to incorporate a quote in a poem, highlighting it in bold type. The quote I chose is of Martin Luther King Jr:
“He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.”
©️2018 Ontheland
You are so right… evil exists in all of us… thankfully I think there is goodness in all as well.
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So true
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I liked the contrasts in this one. The soul wrapped up in his hurt and pain, the hope that there is a heart of love down inside all of us, and evil being the herpes of life!
Dwight
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Thank you Dwight. You noticed the dormant virus 🙂 lots of news about people getting shingles lately put that in my head….
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Amazing what inspires us.
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It is good to recognize the truth you illuminate here in your poem. Because if we lose our humility, that evil we denied will surely overtake us.
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Yes to humility. Thank you again for this prompt.
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Fantabulous! Reads like Old Scriptures.. 😎🥀
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Interesting observation 😉
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Thank you for sharing that powerful quote ~ Your poem reminds me of the delicate balance of darkness and light, good and evil ~
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“..captivated by the seductions of
pride, rage, and hurt.
These constant companions,
squeeze close.
Strange monsters, they Rule…”
I do love the way you weave the quote into your poem….really thoughtful and good food for thought. Great work!!
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Thank you so much Pat.
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Wonderful imagery!
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Thank you 🙂
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I really liked this poem, I read it a few times. The thread of the baby wolves brings the metaphor a poignancy by showing the effect the “monsters” have. Nicely done!
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Thank you so much.
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The poem enlarges and enriches the quote. Beautiful flow. (K)
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Thank you 🙂
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Good observation about evil lurking in the best of us.
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‘They nibble food laced with
shame, fear, sorrow and regret.’
This is wonderful, Janice. The quote is well interpreted in your longer piece.
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Thank you 🙂
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