Thursday, June 6, 2013

FIRST DEGREE BURNS ADD UP



CAUTIONARY TALE IX—KNOWLEDGE IS FORGED IN FIRE

In the shadow of the lights
cast from the fires of hell
where everything appears clear and bright
and vision swells unrestricted,
it is found that what you think you see
may be other  than what lies there.
I may see a blooming plant
textured in color and glory
picture worthy beautiful, pretty
while you see dreaded poison
grotesque in its beauty
waiting for the next hungry man to eat
that his troubles may finally be complete.
Is it knowledge that taints perception
or is all deception clothed in nuanced color and scent?

When it comes to shadows
I have found it best
to never follow what another says they know,
instead I will rely on my own knowledge grown.
And if it is something I know nothing about
I may take the long way round
where no shadows are fire formed.
Yet as always there is always an other hand
and I may simply
follow my hearts demand to learn,
earn the knowing, take a bite and if it kills me
then it will always be said
“he died for knowledge.”

From then to now, to this very day
If I have only learned this one thing
in a life I think has gone on too long
it is to fear no fear,
and one thing I know for sure
there is no shadow nor injury come
that I have ever been able to outrun
or honestly turn away from.

© M Durfee
6/6/13

12 comments:

  1. as to what we see...i have found not even to trust my own eyes...as they color it the way i want to see it...knowledge is only good when tested...and when tested we sill earn scars...

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  2. An important lesson, Mark. Makes me think of those song lyrics "wisdom born of pain".

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  3. That's common to those of us who insisted on attended the school of hard knocks.

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  4. Tis true. You can't escape the pain. NOwhere to run, nowhere to hide.

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  5. So true. Knowledge (is it?) does taint perception.
    Thank you.

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  6. Which path to truth/ knowledge: around the perimeter or straight through the middle? Always a conundrum and always forces a choice. Everything I've truly learned, I've failed at at least several times if not DOZENS. Pain is part of the process. Love your color and imagery.

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  7. Ain't that the truth! So forgive me,, I wanna know hat you and Michael Douglas have in common that is not throat cancer or HPV....????

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  8. Sometimes the truth is couched in humour? Or madness?
    I must have needed a vacation.

    I was conducting a workshop in practical writing at Seneca College, Toronto.

    How could I get students to write (where beginning writers seemed dazed at all the seeming kaleidescope of words and ideas in front of their eyes) to extract written gold from the ore of ideas.... It seemed to me you had to use a smelter.
    So I designed an idea-to- written word smelter.

    On the chalkboard, I first drew a large circle. Then a vertical oval. Then toward the bottom of the oval, an x.

    The idea was to show the broad subject, the better focused subject, and finally, at where I had drawn the x, the real subject --the focus of what the student was writing about.

    In retrospect, I was glad that on that day,I had a rather dull class of business students. There wasn't even a titter of laughter.

    I had drawn a perfect vagina.

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  9. One day the fires will be extinguished and knowledge will be no more and simplicity will rule among the tribes of the simple.

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  10. This made me think of those who live in shadow all their lives, never awakening to their full selves, not ever being aware.

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  11. Mark, I have to remember to just blow out my candles! xo

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So Walking Man I was thinking...