A babe sat in the green grass bright
Fast held in a predator’s sight.
Is it that of a man or that of a beast?
One’s intent is murder, the other’s a feast.
In what universe would a mother bereft
Of her bonnie babe by its sudden theft
Feel her piercing grief constrained the less
Were it a man for its death to so confess?
Something’s broken, someone’s dead
Something’s taken, innocence fled.
Then is there no evil, no good to pursue
Just the surreal, “to thine own self be true”?
Don’t lose the story, oh, don’t lose the plot
It’s death that’s the enemy, one thing we’ve all got.
Nature or nurture, priest, pagan, or not
Don’t you see we all share the same rot?
In a cave or in a palace, the calling card’s the same
One way or another, we’ve lost the grand game.
Something’s broken, someone’s gone
Something’s twisted, death has won
Death robs us of meaning, or would were it the end
Since deep within we sense something round the bend;
Death is still the crucible, our evil we can’t mend
Till upside down is right side up and earth made new again.
Newly minted host Punam for dVerse's Poetics asks us to write about good and evil in the mortal world, and I've used the above photo provided by Sadje's #WhatDoYouSee as a springboard to complement both writing prompts. Join in by clicking here and here.
Dreams from a Pilgrimage 
I love this beautiful poem Dora. The lines flow beautifully and the message is heartfelt. Thanks for joining in
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It’s how life goes– and so it goes out there in the wild, even in society’s wilderness. But then you brought it home with your succinct last lines.
“Death is still the crucible, our evil we can’t mend
Till upside down is right side up and earth made new again.”
What loveliness. Thanks for sharing.
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Your poem reminds me of William Blake’s poetry, Dora, especially the imagery, rhetorical questions and rhyme scheme, and the lines:
‘Something’s broken, someone’s dead
Something’s taken, innocence fled.’
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Dora, I love this, the questions you raise and the omnipresence of death. A stirring write.
(I like newly minted 😊)
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Nice last two lines. We need the new heaven and new earth. Also, these lines stood out for me:
“In a cave or in a palace, the calling card’s the same
One way or another, we’ve lost the grand game.”
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Interesting contemplation. It flows naturally and i like the rhymes.
Much💛love
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I admire the refraining couplets breaking in between your lines, as well as your rhyming quatrains.. This is my favorite part: Death is still the crucible, our evil we can’t mend.
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There’s a lot of contrast or polarity presented here! Thanks for the poem
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Oh Dora! You’ve asked a stimulating question. I, in my heart hold hands with Robinhood. You also made me think of les Miserable. Really poor steal for food for their children as a last resort.
I also like your rhyming. Thank you.
..
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After reading it carefully I agree with your assessment, that says to me, the world is fallen now, and we feel its brokenness in death. Until Jesus returns and we can truly see what goodness is and how it will bring true life! 💝🦁
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I’m reassured, what you say was my intent. Thank you. 💝🦁
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My pleasure, Dora! ❣️
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I don’t hold that view of death. It’s part of the circle…we are no more special than any other form of life. Our elements decay, but don’t disappear–they nurture rebirth and become life in a different time and place and form. That’s a beautiful thing to me.
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Wow. This is beautiful.
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Many things are broken in this brave new world, mostly those things of the heart and soul, but also our relationships to the living world around us. A thought-provoking poem, finely executed.
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The classic feel makes the poem all the stronger… so well done. I feel that whatever we believe is that whatever we need to do in this world we need to do it before death.
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