Monday, January 9, 2017

CONCRETE WITHOUT MORTAR



JUDGMENT SO HARD PAVEMENT CRUMBLES

The footprints of weighty ideas trailed in under muted light marched past my door. The gray pebbled pavement is cracked in a line stretching from past to present. Tree root lifted flags trip up the blind and unthinking in equal measure. Nosebleeds are common. The cement is painted by them until the wind comes to clean the loosened blood dust of thoughts once smooth, once relevant.   

I saw in a single bleak moment realities, named for explosions, alphabet, and time; generations each considered failures. Each broken as the cement, each weakened differently by the stink of chemically fogged clouds that blur the light of knowledge. Smog disguised ideas of wasted humans with pocketed humanity choking trees, weeds, and other thoughts.

Stepping to my gate, not a quaint pre-color movie picket gate, but one of modern steel security on rollers with passcode gadgets. Would that I were allowed a moat, a bridge, a dragon of fiery temperament. “Security is safety” I am told by them picking their thoughts and their bloody snouts from the cracked failed pavement. “There is no safety in ease or security in walls” I say.

The crumbling sidewalks reach well past any reality now. We see but do we learn, do we understand? We fight and sear the thoughts of them not near enough to us, to our comforts, to our way? There was a chance, long ago I think, but the path of broken cement already trails well past gates, understanding moved off in a choking smog of time to the irrelevant now tomorrow.

© M Durfee
1.6.2017

19 comments:

  1. We humans claim that we are the learning species, that this is one of those things we do best. I don't see a lot of evidence of that

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    1. I have to agree Charles, most institutions come up short in the area of educating about reality.

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  2. I don't know. When the bullets are flying, it's kind of nice to have a wall, crumbling or otherwise. Well, a concrete wall, anyway. Not sure the wood and plaster around here would do much good, but it's nice for keeping the cold out.

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    1. Someone wants to send something in Alice the only protection is random. Not being in the path of what you do not know is on the way.

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    2. They say luck is a skill. So far I haven't shown much of that skill. Luckily most in the "incoming" around here involved mountain lions. For them, walls work just fine.

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  3. Awesome poem, meouwpoppa, if not the best ever ... "The gray pebbled pavement is cracked in a line stretching from past to present." ... Only thing 4 us 2 do in order 2 suvive is not 2 step on a crack, hmmm? ... Much love, cat.

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    1. ... "survive" I meant 2 say ... (hate spelling mistakes) ... smiles ... purrs, cat.

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    2. Thanks Meowmomma there is much we can do to survive but the fact is most people hope they don't get run down by time. *shrug*

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  4. Concrete without mortar can only be flat, as flat as road kill--I esp like "I saw in a single bleak moment realities, named for explosions, alphabet, and time..." We seem mortarless, now, indeed, with only inertia to hold things together.

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    1. That's an interesting thought HW, inertia holding all together. I was curious if the singularity of the generations would come out strong enough. Yep there is no cohesive now, all seek to their own benefit regardless of cost to others.

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  5. Wow, lots of good images here... security isolating us from the cracked pavement of society, but does it really?

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    1. I never trust to walls and fences Jeff. A knowledge of society and it's ponderous history is my best defense.

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  6. I don't we will ever learn ~ I see a lot of cracked sidewalks and cement, and every year we fix them ~ We can't seem to find our way out of the fixing-destroying cycle ~ Deep reflections here Mark ~

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    1. Grace, living in a place where the cracks started to appear right after WWII and has been neglected ever since, I wonder when it will ever occur; this repair thing. I am not sure anyone of any import os really looking to repair anything now. It doesn't seem to be on the agenda of them tasked with such. Not enough of the wherewithal for their pockets and the societies benefit.

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  7. Mark-I like the wall I put up around myself when I need a time out. My wall-my rules. xo

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    1. Ahh but Jodi, you come out from behind it fairly often. That's a good thing if you are secure in it.

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  8. History proves we do not learn from history. Kinda ironic since we also believe if we don't know where we come from, we can't determine where we are going...
    Plus, if there is an individual who wants to try and change him, no-one wants to give him the time of day because we are all too scared to try something new??? Hell, us humans, are living contradictions...

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So Walking Man I was thinking...