Just today I saw more images about the Sichuan earthquake. They reminded me of pictures from Turkey and Pakistan some years ago. Just too shocking to even try to imagine...
Land of four streams, kingdom of Shu
Only once saw you from high in the sky
Now I weep for you and my heart is sore
Who still cares about Olympic torches
When the earth shook and heaven did not move?
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Written by Phil (6383 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Simple, clear, full of controlled emotion.
Phil |
Written by Josie (2496 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
| Absolutely right Fledermaus. Such a dreadful tragedy puts mankind firmly in his place. When we are fighting over things which seem important to us at the time, Mother Earth does a dreadful deed and it all comes second place. Well said! |
Written by Brett (474 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Admirable sentiment, Maus, but I feel line four reads a little awkward (that maybe me, I've had a couple) but I absoloutely adore:
'When the earth shook and heaven did not move?'
A very powerful line.
Cheers |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Thanks Phil, Josie and Brett.
The main point of that fourth line was to show what Josie said. In the light of such disasters all those manmade issues seem rather silly. |
Written by mia_ms_kim (891 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Yes, the images we see on our screens here in oz are horrendous, too, FM. I'm sure we are seeing just the mild ones. Cyclone in Burma, earthquake in China... (Tsunami and New Orleans just some years ago. I forgot what other small disasterss have occured in between...)
(I heard that there are many dams in Sichuan, that are cracked and in danger of breaking. I also heard that affected areas in Burma and China are both major crop producers. Are these true? If so, I fear all this will add to the world food crisis we've been hearing of.)
Indeed, the talk of Olympic torch sounds like lunacy in the face of the disaster.
Mia  |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Thanks Mia.
I heard about those dams on the BBC... Hopefully they'll get such things in order over there soon.
Those places are so far away and I never even heard of most of the towns affected before, but when one sees the destruction and the misery on TV it does place a lot of things in a different perspective. And it is a striking thing I think that with the earthquake in Turkey the Greeks sent help, with the one in Pakistan the Indians did so and that now the Taiwanese and Japanese do. So maybe even politicians can see how unimportant their conflicts are in such situations.
It also shows how the world can change in an instant and how vulnerable everyone is. |
Written by mr_soul (80 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Very powerful poem. I liked the way you combined a few ideas in one short poem. Very thought-provoking.
What we've seen in China and Burma recently are terrible events, it does remind us of how vulnerable we are. And, for people such as myself, who live in countries relatively free from such major disasters, it makes you feel very fortunate. We often moan about trivial things like the weather and such when all over the world there's people far worse off. We should be thankful for what we've got.
Good poem
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Heaven and Earth!
Written by Katanga (717 comments posted) 17th May 2008 |
Yes - damn the olympics! Stupid people running round in circles and hurling rocks and spears in a place where so many have had their lives torn away.
Beyond sensible contemplation - but your poem is good, sadly. If you know what I mean.
For me, the last line makes it entirely. I may be wrong, but I read it 'motionally' and 'emotionally' at the same time:
i.e. 'heaven did not move'
and 'heaven was not moved'
God took no notice - and good not to put a capital 'H' on 'heaven'.
Nicely cutting about religion. And chilling.
Cheers!
John |
Written by Livinginanattic (454 comments posted) 18th May 2008 |
With the above. The last 2 lines are very powerful, and nicely set up. Excellent poem.
Ben |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 19th May 2008 |
Thanks mr. soul, Katanga and Ben.
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Superstition
Written by rui (150 comments posted) 19th May 2008 |
Big snow: 2008-1-25
Tibetan riots: 2008-3-14
Sichuan earthquake: 2008-5-12
1+2+5=8
3+1+4=8
5+1+2=8
Start of the Olympics: 08-08-08
We all know that this is most likely a coincidence and that fiddling with the numbers proves nothing, but we're a superstitious lot and many people are starting to believe the Olympics are already damned.
FM, very powerful poem. |
Rui, my goodness!
Written by mia_ms_kim (891 comments posted) 19th May 2008 |
Do people believe the number thing you've exgeted above? I stopped watching '23' (Jim Carry movie) 'cos it was too dark, but similar concept to above, I think. Koreans believe '4' is a bad number to do with death. Korean buildings years ago, used to miss units, floors, lockers etc that had 4 in it, eg. 4th floor or unit 14 etc... Probably that is now in the past.
But I did wonder about the Olympics though... Feels ominous even without all the numerics...
Mia  |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 20th May 2008 |
Thanks Rui.
And all that while 8 was supposed to be a lucky number... Let's just hope this was the last disaster, for they seemed to increase in dreadfulness...
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Written by beatricelouise (202 comments posted) 21st May 2008 |
| The poem is timely and I agree with the comments which speak of how things change in importance, when such disasters occur. I sense that people are blaming God. There is no mention of the evil one or demonic activity. It rains on the just and the unjust, and it will until the end of time I guess. Good writing. |
Written by Fledermaus (3159 comments posted) 14th June 2008 |
| Thanks Beatricelouise. An interesting thought indeed. |
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