Was it better when
we exalted wind and earth
and sea and sky
and bowed to them as gods,
was it better when
we hadn’t stripped
tempests of their arrogance,
penumbras of their veil,
the eccentric moon of her moods,
when the only dreams we had
came from birds and stars
and there were no words,
so from a single smile
we could make up a million stories,
everything we needed
we found in clouds shaped as deer
and deer that broke the
mist on the morning hills,
now I feel you shift in your sleep
a shiver curling into the space
between us,
the rain drifting down
my window pane gives me
a curious glance,
and I wonder what it might
have felt like
to never look for shelter.

Reblogged this on THOTPURGE and commented:
This poem was published in the December Issue of Peeking Cat Poetry.
https://peekingcatpoetry.co.uk/december-issue-now
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I especially love the beautiful imagery you used to put these very thought-provoking ideas before us.
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Thanks so much…
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You are a poet of extraordinary beauty. This is another shimmering example!
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Thank you, you’re very kind. 🙂
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Learning to respect the past and how much it has to teach us about where we are in the present is a life-long lesson. I love your imagery and the emotionally packed ending. So real, and so true.
Elizabeth
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Thank you Elizabeth… we are our past… aren’t we!!
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Profound…no more words….but I would like to echo those closing lines…perfect!
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Thank you Sreeja… for me the poem started there., glad you liked it.
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I had a long conversation about faith/religion/science/responsibility, today (okay, it was more of an argument). Either way, I wish I had your poem in hand. I would’ve read it aloud, and answered, “No, it was not better. Not knowing only meant we were more ignorant, we saw less. It would be best to see the horrors, while keeping the beautiful close to our hearts, and work in making things better.”
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Agree completely…the wistfulness comes onlly when we extrapolate from the personal..thus the twist to emotion at the end, which is really the beginning of the poem.
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A thought provoking poem but in the first place it is written in such beauty that I felt like I was dancing through it. Brilliant
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Thanks so much Marja 🙂
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Beautifully evocative. I like this dream. Makes me consider that time is an illusion and perhaps we can revive our sense of respect and wonder.
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I hope we can…thank you Myrna,
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We lose, we gain. The loss of youth and innocence – hopefully is replaced with wisdom – but at what cost?
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At what cost..absolutely…thanks Margaret.
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I share these wistful wonderings. Mankind has lost its way. But I see the best in humanity arise during times of peril, so all hope is not lost. We have much cleaning up and reparation to make however as we have treated Mother Earth so badly.
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That is optimistic considering a large swathe of the world is in a state of flux…with war and drought and starvation and poverty.. immediate survival may take priority over saving the earth unfortunately. But one has to do one’s share and hope for the best.
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Thanks for sharing this I really enjoyed it.
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Thanks John..
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This is beautiful; and the shift is very cleverly done
“now I feel you shift in your sleep
a shiver curling into the space”
Have a nice Wednesday Anjani
much love…
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Thanks Gillena… 🙂
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These questions rise in me, as my atoms and soul journeys with those in exile from their homes because of terror or weather or scarcity. Compassion. And I also long for answers like when gods misbehaved like humans on a plane of their own–or even better, like when
“from a single smile
we could make up a million stories,
everything we needed
we found in clouds shaped as deer
and deer that broke the
mist on the morning hills,” thank you. Poems must be our clouds now.
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Poems must be our clouds… I hope so, thanks so much Susan 🙂
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May not be better or who knows. But your way of putting it is like tasting ‘Amrita’. Hope you do publish your anthology Rajani.
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Thank you… but publishing is the big question isn’t it.. you know how the market for poetry is.. I went to landmark recently and couldn’t even find the poetry section. No publisher wants to touch it.. and self publishing is another big debate… I’ve only now started sending to journals.. maybe that’s a beginning 🙂
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Journals are a wonderful place to begin. Some are on-line like this blog, and some are established in print. A well known poet in town gets published a lot–but has about 50 rejections to each one accepted–so don’t be discouraged. Your poems are unique, so you may be truly welcomed. New thot’s (yes) are rare.
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Thanks for the encouragement Susan. The rejections are challenging of course, I can from that ratio I need to make more submissions and in a more structured way..not the one or two random ones I’m attempting!! But more than journals I think the quest is to be read by people around me and they of course run for the door when they hear the P word!!!!!!!
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Sending to journals is nice. I think self publishing is a nice option too in these days of print on demand technology. And it’s economical 🙂
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Am trying to understand if self published poetry books have a wide reach. Especially from unknown first time poets. Haven’t really got much data on it.
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I have seen many blog writers showcasing their works on their blogs. From there any reader could directly buy the book with just one click. In fact I’ve recently bought a book from one such blog. Your own blog will be the best place to display your book, I think.
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I think that’s a great option for high traffic blogs.. will try and get some numbers if I can, will be great to have a discussion.
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kaykuala
Was it better when
we exalted wind and earth
and sea and sky
Questions and more questions that never fail to stimulate lots of ideas! Great thoughts, Thot!
Hank
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Thanks Hank!!
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Very beautiful. As for the answer to your question – I don’t think we can know; we just have to be where we are, and hopefully move forward in good directions.
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Thanks Rosemary…
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A wonder filled reflection.
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Thank you…
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great poem, beautiful imagery, thought-provoking
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Thank you.. unable to access your poem, says permission is restricted!
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Wonderful, Rajani! I particularly love the lines:
‘was it better when
we hadn’t stripped
tempests of their arrogance,
penumbras of their veil,
the eccentric moon of her moods’
and
‘now I feel you shift in your sleep
a shiver curling into the space
between us’.
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Thanks so much Kim 🙂
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Oh I love the way you have used questions… sometimes it’s questions that matter, not answers.
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Thanks Bjorn 🙂
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Such a true poem – was it better when….. I just know that things get worse and also better with the passing of times. I love the wistful questions in your poems. Somethings may have been better back then, but somethings are better today. Good questions that makes one think.
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Thanks so much Toni…
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Better?…good question. Certainly imagination and instinctual insight have become a rarity. We have lost a dimension .The few who retain it would be well advised to keep it to themselves.
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Lost a dimension… well said and I agree…
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Gosh, this is just absolutely brilliant poetry. You made my day!
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Thanks so much Kerry 🙂
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Ow wow! 🙂
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Thank you Celestine.. much appreciated.
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For all the ‘advance’ humanity has made over the centuries for each step taken forward we have lost something precious and embraced something ugly. Yes, it may well have been better then but we must just take what we have got.
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And try to make it better… thanks Robin.
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‘the eccentric moon of her moods, when the only dreams we had came from birds and stars and there were no words, so from a single smile we could make up a million stories”.. gosh how I love your way with words!❤️
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Thanks so much Sanaa 😀
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