Fleshed on bone and dressed
in charcoal cloth
he’s still more neolith in awe of winter solstice
lying sleepless listening
to lightlessness of night
or a lovesick chimpanzee,
in how he looks at skin of his and hers.
He finds it cold
and probes
with bony fingers as he counts his ribs and hers and
wonders why —
he always gets the same.
He studies bones of apes and
sees again,
comprehends that being man is neither being
pinnacle nor creation.
He opens up a bottle of his best Bourgogne
and drinks himself into a stupor in
deception of supremacy.
Reginald Southey
by Lewis Carroll (1857)
Kerry inspires us to write with a single photograph at toads again. This I could not refrain from think about the stories of creation vs that of evolution. I will also link this to Poetry Pantry tomorrow morning.
—
December 2, 2017
Love the synesthesia of this:
listening
to lightlessness of night
Makes the scene all so “visual.”
or a lovesick chimpanzee,
in how he looks at skin of his and hers.
He finds it cold
and probes
with bony fingers as he counts his ribs and hers and
wonders why —
he always gets the same.
— I just love how you’ve worded this, it’s placement in the poem, the entirety and wholeness is this – it speaks of the delusions and illusions we believe in our questioning, our need to reign supreme.
Wonderfully rich piece Björn!
That ‘deception of supremacy’ is the Achilles’ Heel of the human race. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Oh I love this Björn.
How Man(human?)kind deceives himself, believing himself the supreme beast…knee deep in primordial soup…as he destroys all and ultimately himself…
Anna :o]
One word. Wow!❤️ The theory of evolution works so well with this picture! I sometimes wonder if the theory might be more complex since some genes have spread independently between distantly related species. Especially this; “he’s still more neolith in awe of winter solstice” is brilliant! 🙂
“Deception of supremacy” — this seems so prevalent today. Disheartening really to see how man has evolved!
We have fell for a false sense of supremecy since the dawn of man. And use both science and religion as our justification for that position.
Agree with Victoria on that synesthesia. Very cool poetic tool.
I really like your angle – the pensive man considers his antecedents, weighs them against fable and drinks away the difference. Very astute.
That is a tough subject and you did so well. Like the listening to the lightlessness of night!
Does the aged librarian have a curator or anthropologist brother?
I like the title, Bjorn, and the way you describe him as:
‘Fleshed on bone and dressed
in charcoal cloth
he’s still more neolith in awe of winter solstice’.
You’ve given him a particularly creepy side in the lines:
‘…probes
with bony fingers as he counts his ribs and hers and
wonders why —
he always gets the same’.
Sadly there are so many still blind to our place in the world. I think that we are the destroyer and are blind to that fact.
So much sharp and stark imagery in this piece – it suits the cold (for some) realization that we are not the center of all things, and just one small player in a larger epic.
good stupor of wine. Tomorrow lies in another valley of thesis
Happy Sunday Bjorn
much love…
Sometimes drinking one’s self into a stupor is an appropriate response to the unsolvable mysteries of life.
I love the lines aout counting his ribs and hers and always getting the same number. Ha! Womankind is vindicated. Smiles.
This is beautifully visual–love where you took this image
Your last 14 lines were incredible and powerful for your chosen photograph.
Yes we have reached our pinnacle of the ‘deception of supremacy’
So impressive, Bjorn. Neither pinnacle nor creation … deception of supremacy … phrases to remember!
From baffling rib numbers to drinking into a stupor of deception and supremacy…… I loved it all!
Love the rib-counting, and the whole of evolution. ‘deception and supremacy’ – we seem to be living under the thumb of one who possesses these characteristics.
kaykuala
and drinks himself into a stupor in
deception of supremacy.
Was it a conscience pricked upon the discovery of the deception?. Mysteriously brilliant Bjorn!
Hank
Brilliant….so much…the only way to supremacy is that bottle….or a bottle of ego…..!
I like the ring of charcoal cloth and Winter Solstice and the idea of lying sleepless listening to lightlessness of night.
We have some leaders who don’t lead but try to convince themselves and us that they are great. They lead, aka rule, as if their subjects all love them while in actuality only a few have selected them. They completely forget the masses.
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