Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Provisions of Scholars and Fools


 

"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."
  ~Emily Dickinson
 
 
 

Life provides the utter need to struggle
 to sustain its own truest breath
Like a fish squirms out of water
 and a bird works hard to build its secure nest
We are granted its gracious offering
 at the moment of our own birth
And the deep urge to preserve the gift
 is expensive but still it gains more worth
A wise man learns to make it prosper
 fishing for truth that helps him fully thrive
While the fool struggles with the burden
 of unlearned lessons upon his empty line
This world is a deep ocean
 full of opportunities to catch hold of and to keep
It’s a fish that feeds the plenty,
 yet our hands hold the power to use it or set it free.

 

 

 

9 comments:

  1. I adore that photo, and Emily Dickinson's quote is beautiful, as is your poem. Very nice post.

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  2. Carrie,

    There is an urge to keep faith in oneself and to keep trying...
    A very rewarding poem Carrie.
    Best Wishes,
    Eileen :)

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  3. fishing for that truth which allows them to thrive...yeah, i want that kinda truth...you gotta know which to keep...and which to throw back....

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  4. Beautiful write my friend! "yet our hands hold the power to use it or set it free." I love this. I like the idea of having the power to make that choice in life. Great message in this piece. Chris

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  5. ah yes, it is us who choose which way we want to live... great write!

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  6. Some very deep wisdom here, Carrie, my friend. So nice to read you today. Love the line about the "unlearned lessons on the empty line" - and the quote about life being so astonishing it leaves little time for anything else. I resonate with that!!!!!

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  7. Oh, holy hell, Carrie. You never cease to amaze me.
    Those first two lines are so profound in their simplicity.
    And so true, looking forward and forgetting, our struggles seem like our enemy, when truly, they are our necessary bread.
    Not so sure about keeping all we catch, though. Fish are slippery, and some are bound to get away.
    All part of this thing we call living.
    A wonderful write
    ~rick

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"Our best thoughts come from others." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson