Saturday, June 29, 2013

A HOUSE ABLAZE—COMMUNITY TRAGEDY



With a house ablaze and naught
but a concerned neighborhood
bucket brigade trying to douse the flames
one may count the structure doomed,
the community forever changed
with the first smell of smoke.

People in general will put aside
long standing differences
in an attempt to save
community memories of better days
dying in the fire of troubled
smoke choked present haze.

Yet there are always more than a few
without care or conscience
will watch the vain attempt saying
“why bother, hauling water is for fools”
not ever realizing
they stand idly by disregarding the fact
that with the addition of a single letter
bother is changed to brother.

Families that will not fight the fires
as best they unaided can together,
are in their separation by division,
doomed to hazy historical extinction.

Life insists it nobler
to die trying to fight
the ever increasing flaming heat
than live on the sidelines at dénouement
passing pronouncements pedantic
tailor made  for preordained failure.

© M Durfee
6/29/13

I’d like to wish my way older by 13 months brother Doug

a happy and gentle entry into his 60th year!

Good lord I am glad that I grew

to be twice your size when we were teenagers.

33 comments:

  1. happy birthday to your brother...i hope i am never one that stands as the water is passed to preserve the memories...even if a bit can be saved....i would think it a gift...it will never be the same but...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian there may yet be hope in some far flung corner of humanity for a true community but sadly we in America and the rest of the developed world seem to have struck out in a different course.

      Delete
  2. Changing bother to brother....Love that perspective ~ If we all sit back and just watch things happen or falling apart, soon the whole neighborhood will go up in smoke ~

    And Happy Birthday to your brother ~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grace no one seems to realize that we are the creators hands upon the earth anymore. We choose to neglect the burning house, thinking it more worthwhile to let others suffer for our entertainment.

      Delete
  3. Tragedy will bring people together. It's sad that they can't stay together afterward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aye Charles. NO is a good example 8 years later.

      Delete
  4. ... yet ... we all know of situations when the phrase "Burn in hell" seems to be all we can utter ... not, hmmm?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Catwoman maybe we have come to think of hell as a creation of man used to control the masses with, the same as some have forgotten that we are a divine eternal being as well.

      Delete
  5. Beautifully written--especially like how bother can be changed to brother with just that one letter added.
    Happy birthday to your brother, Mark.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Syd. It is the smallest things that can have the greatest impact on a persons soul.

      Delete
  6. Cheers to you and also to your brother Doug, man ~!

    ~~ To bucket brigades and brotherhood/sisterhood ~~

    ReplyDelete
  7. A single letter and a single intention...both can change so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen Talon--the simplest things can go so far in dissolution of troubles.

      Delete
  8. people will put long standing differences to help one another, we hope. We have to remember that to keep faith in humanity, our own kind, ourselves. And then there are others that really need to be reminded of the addition of the letter R (so clever).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It takes heart to instantly forgive someone in their time of need Myriam. Like Charles said if that forgiveness would only carry on past the hour of the day, we could recapture the voice of community and amity.

      Delete
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