Poem: A Cottage of a Thousand Years

A cheesy painting I did. 
I know...its not that good!💁

Even though each of us are unique we are part of a larger collective of people. Our perception is limited when looking from inside a generation but when we stand back and get a wide angle view we can see a moving, living, breathing organism made of all the people within a society. Even though some generations are more successful than others all live within a chain.

Generation after generation is born and transfers information from one to the next creating collective knowledge. Newer generations build off of the knowledge of the old to develop a better world for themselves. It is the same with each generation and it will continue as long as we adapt and grow. Decisions at one time and in one area have an influence on the entire organism.

People may believe they are different and the values and characteristics they hold make them better than each other. In the end we are only one generation on a path of generations. In the collective nature of our lives we are all the same. Only our thoughts, hopes, and dreams make us unique. Together they push our species forward indifferent of our petty arguments. Abundance is waiting to be drawn when we work together to solve problems.

A Cottage of a Thousand Years

Fields of green blankets,
the smell of cut grass.

A cottage of history old,
spanning the time of our lives.

A place of multiple generations,
Solid stones of time make its walls.

A warm fire glows inside,
A pot of soup in hearth.

Kitchen conversation fills the room,
like a symphony of dreams.

Fish swim in the pond,
waiting to be drawn.

Nothing changes in his land,
An hour and a thousand years are the same.

Peom: The Island of Axis Mundi

The Island of Axis Mundi

It is there just beyond the ocean waves,

An island of refuge from the sea.

An oasis of sun light stardust,

A clumping of lush green. 

Only a few sailors landed on this ocean oasis,

The Axis Mundi where no map can lead.

A place between heaven and earth,

Somewhere far in the sea but just beyond the ocean crest.

A point to see the world from new light,

 Upon the branches, trunks and roots that tie it together.

The Pathwalker

Discussing Parks as a Place of Value Through Poetry

Poetry offers a new way of looking at the same thing. A new perspective with enough feeling or insight to challenge our previous assumptions. It doesn't really matter much what the topic of discussion is as poetry is about everyday life. In this case poetry can be about parks and their value to the environment both financially and aesthetically.

Parks and landscaping are used to improve upon the environment. They cost a significant amount of money to build and more money to maintain but they are worth it. There is a reason why we are so attracted to parks and why we as humans enjoy them. We enjoy them so much that those neighborhoods that have parks and landscaping are worth more than those who don't.

Parks are more than simple decoration as they provide activities, recreation and a chance to connect. They keep wildlife in the area and become places where people socialize. Birds and squirrels become actors on our real life television that plays a metaphorical movie from each park bench. At its very root parks remind us of where we came and our backgrounds. We feel comfortable there because nature is where we came from.

 The Priceless Benefits of Parks

Parks are refuges of nature's wild,
Places where the constructed meet the unconstructed,
What costs money today was once born in the wild,
A capsule of time long past.

The birds and squirrels don't seem to care,
Their lives are consumed by chasing nuts and berries,
They can spend a lifetime in the same preserve,
No worries but that which is in front of them.

Man is a different creature entirely,
A park is simply a place to sit,
Somewhere to gain  perspective,
A large decoration on a map.

The value is not in the bushes and trees,
It is a little more than the perfectly groomed lawn,
It is a real life movie to watch on the canvass of a blue sky,
A projector into their past.

We are not much different than the birds and squirrels,
Most of us chase our nuts and berries within a few short miles,
We sit in the parks to remind us of our past, of where we came,
A small reminder of our place in it all. 

Poem: Summer Storms

Learning About Perception, Creativity, and Science Through Poetry

Few things strike as true as poetry from great artists who pondered the nature of man and the universe. Some poetry is long and some is short but each brings a different perspective about this thing we call existence. The poetry below is about our imaginations and the power of seeing and perceiving the world. Those who feel and see the world do so through their mental faculties built upon the information gathered through their senses.

This knowledge is not reliant only on physical sensation but the interpretation of that sensation. Those with higher cognitive functions adapt, innovate and perceive at a higher level than those who don’t.  They make more connections, understand in greater depth, and can see the impact of decisions from the power of their imaginations.

Consider asking a person with no knowledge on a particular subject to formulate a relevant opinion. Without doubt the far majority will rehash the opinions of other notable people in society.  They may draw from famous thinkers, politicians, or leading figures in an effort to appear knowledgeable.  However, those who use their imagination create something new and truer than simple blind copy.

Imagination is most useful when matched with analytical thinking. We must first make a connection to a concept and then logically and sequentially analyze the truth or falsehood of that new concept. When we do this well we create something called “truth”.  It is a truth based upon new understandings that are supported by fact that create innovative breakthroughs in science and life.

Consider a poem by the British Poet William Wordsworth:

''Imagination, which in truth
Is but another name for absolute power
And clearest insight, amplitude of mind,
And reason, in her most exalted mood.''

The poem discusses perception and the power that comes from understanding. Perception, or “awareness”, mixed with the ability to create a model of an event is based in truth to the perceiver. That model is then tested through thought, experimentation, or experience to develop clear insight for others. Knowledge, perception, imagination, and scientific analysis create ways to innovate. Truth in society is built from generations of people who push forward new truths.

An Analysis of "There is Another Sky" by Emily Dickinson

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!

Emily is trying to convince her brother to return from Boston to Amherst (1).  The poem discusses how things are already better and greener in our home towns. No matter where we travel and why we travel, home will always be home.  Our lives are rich and deep in our place of origin and time only makes such memories more mystical. 

Some have argued that the poem is about a feeling (2).  It is a poem of optimism that helps one see the possibilities beyond what is currently available. There are better places, greener pastures, and worlds still unexplored. It is optimism that keeps most of us moving forward within our lives.  The garden is a metaphor for that greater place. 

Others have argued that the poem means that her brother is invited to read her poetry writings (3). Poems can be a brighter place than what we find in real life. In a poem, much like heaven, we are able to keep things really crisp and forever young.

Free Verse Poem: The Providing Tree

Title: The Providing Tree

The tree anchors the soil to the earth,

It is a home to many and shelter to some.

Creatures find their sustenance in its reach,

Leaves, branches, roots and bark makes their den.

Each finds their use for the branches held high.

Taking refuge in the umbrella of the tree’s time.

It is the blanket that keeps the earth warm,

The fan that keeps it cool.

It maintains sturdy course, bracing high and low.

Dr. Murad Abel

Free verse poetry does not have the rhythm or meter like other poetry. However, one can argue that free verse is not completely free. It does have some level of comma use, word choice, and themes that give it a structure. The free versus is meant to tell more of a story than it is to delight in rhythm and rhyme. Other examples of free versus may be found in Walt Whitman’s work where commas and words create natural pause.

The writer seeks to connect images in the readers mind. They do this through the specific choices of words. For example, “like a willow reaches for mother earth” could put an image of a weeping willow with the branches focused downward or it could be used to enhance a concept of a crying infant such as “The child became like a willow that reaches for mother earth”. 

For example, the poem above is considered free versus but it also has a number of images it portrays to the reader. Consider the following:

Line 1-Anchored, connected, foundation.

Line 2-Shelter,  home, refuge

Line 3-Sustenance, food, life

Line 4- Den, home, borough

Line 5-Usage, utility, providing

Line 6-Time, longevity, unending

Line 7-Blanket, warmth, protective

Line 8-Cool, refuge, oasis

Line 9-Sturdy, unbreakable, strong

If we look at only these words and the images associated with them we may find a tree to have a strong foundation, be shelter, give us living, a place to exist, having practical use, providing nourishment, always giving, giving warmth, giving coolness, and never ending.  It is possible to look at the poem as representing life and homes. That homes are strong, teaching us skills, always providing something we need, giving us protection, and never ending in its quest to provide this. The tree is the stable unending home to the creatures that live on the earth. The poem helps us respect nature and interconnected activities of all things that exist in that environment.

You might be interested in reading the following article on how plants try and reverse overheating through releasing cooling gases. Here

Book Review- Grand Strategies: Literature, Statecraft and World Order

Grand Strategies by Charles Hill offers some interesting insights into the building of nations and their relations to each other. The understanding of current states requires delving into the historical past. Without this knowledge one suffers from an improper perspective due to a lack of international context. Through the development of this philosophical perspective readers better understand how thoughts led to the development of a nation and modern forms of existence. 

The work uses philosophy and history to create an interesting read that will maintain your interest from cover to cover. Filled with philosophical ramblings, poetry and historical tidbits the book appears to be well researched and thought out. The state of diplomacy between nations is rift with drama and intrigue ranging from the odd to the downright ludicrous. 

In many ways the fear of government and its very purpose is the protection of people. This protection might come from foreign nations but might also come in the form of protecting ourselves from each other. Government is a product of need and thought that impacts the very manners in which we live. Such government is not perfect but is on a plane of development from one historical point to another. 

The book discusses how our chaotic tribal past created a world order from the Treaty of Westphalia. It is through this world order that nations and states have developed, existed, and inter-relate to each other. Threats to this order come in varying forms ranging from historical conflicts to new one’s experienced in modern religious conflict. 

The book discusses classical orders as seen in stories of Homer, Aeschylus, and Virgil. It moves into concepts of creative disorder from the likes of Hugo and Shakespeare. It discusses the sources of world order, the Enlightenment, America, and modern conflict. The poem The Ocean to Cynthia by Ralegh helps to understand American existence from the love of the old to the novelty of the new:

To seeke new worlds, for golde, for prayse, for glory,

To try to desire, to try love severed farr,

When I was gonn she sent her memory

More strange than were ten thousand shipps of war

To call mee back, to leve great honor thought,

To leve my friends, my fortune, my attempte

To leve the purpose I so longe had sought

And hold bothe cares, and comforts in contempt.

To Hill literature gives a key to understanding statecraft. By covering historical literature he is also giving readers a keen understanding of the world and its development. Such literature provides the backdrop to why we think the way we do and the reasons we exist in the world in which we do. It is a deep and insightful book that is written at a graduate level. For those who need resources there are plenty available.

Hill, C. (2010). Grand Strategies: Literature, Statecraft, and World Order. London: Yale University Press. 

ISBN: 978-0-300-17133-4

Pages:  368

Price: $15

Blog Ranking: 4.3

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