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Poetry
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New Invictus (New Year)
By bwoz
07 February 2007
Kind of a New Year's omen. Just happy to have made it through to another chance. Glad to have work to do.

While the captains of industry cruise
on ocean liners of divine contemplation,
they throw their skippers overboard
in rented skiffs to lunge
into random waves of dull labor,
to break against reefs of incompetence
then fade into graceful shores.

When the tide recedes
only the wet reflections of sand pipers
remain, sifting through tide-pools
for the last dregs of broken crab,
the hermits and fiddlers.
The dullards turn, then, to the crossing tide
and cast their nets for another haul.

Raise your goblets high, now
drink the bronze nectar of loathing
from wormy wooden pail;
Toast the dullards who carry the rocks,
who cast their knotted nets,
and work the oars of progress
to keep our hopes dry.

Count me as one.


Reviews

Written by Marybarry (237 comments posted) 7th February 2007
This is a fantastic poem. 
 
Sorry I cannot judge the art of writing, I'm new to poetry. 
 
BUT I loved it. 
 
You speak for all those people who didn't realise that we  
live in a throwaway society. 
 
On with the next candidate. 
 
Mmarybarry

Written by Fledermaus (3301 comments posted) 7th February 2007
I could almost smell the sea. I didn't so much get the idea of a throwaway society, but rather that of hard working fishermen...
Invictus
Written by bwoz (125 comments posted) 7th February 2007
Thank you Mary and Fledermaus: 
 
The title is a reference to the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley -- not sure what year he wrote it. His is, obviously, the masterpiece that ends with those timeless lines: 
I am the master of my fate; 
I am the captain of my soul. 
 
This poem, written on New Years day, kind of carries Henley's theme a bit farther. Yes, we are the captains of our souls, the masters of our own fate. Still, there are a lot of life-lessons, druggery, putting up with a lot of crap that we must do, no matter how high we climb on the ladder of success. Seems there is always someone above us dropping rocks -- or worse. 
 
Its all about the ones who get the work done so those captains of industry can keep the ship afloat, or something like that. 
 
Thanks for reading and good praise. 
 
BW

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