| Commentary and Philosophy Poetry posted January 15, 2009 |
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A Pastiche:Inspired by the poetry of Carl Sandburg
Hope's Song
by Mrs. KT
To the Family of Man and with special thanks to Pandora...(Please read aloud, and be sure to read the Author's Notes)
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<<<~~~>>> Dream Keeper for the World, Promise Weaver, Candle Lighter, Prayer Whisperer and Sorrow's Balm, Beacon of Possibilities, Medicinal Herb, Raison d'etre, Pandora's Saving Grace. They tell me that because of you, Mankind has endured, And I believe them, for I have seen you In the faces, eyes, and smiles, In the hands, tears, and crippled backs Of men, women, and children Who seemingly should have no reason to know your name: Survivors, one and all, of The Holocaust, Apartheid, Sarajevo, The Killing Fields, Bataan, The Trail of Tears, September 11, 2001, The Great Depression, Child Abuse, Divorce, Cancer. And they tell me that nothing Can extinguish your power, and I answer: Yes, it is true, For with the dawning of each new day Mankind still finds in you the Need, Strength, and Sheer Will To persevere in spite of Ignorance, Poverty, War, Famine, Depravity, Economic Hardships, Social Injustice, Greed, and Apathy. And they tell me that your spirit Is the thread that binds all men together, And I smile, throw my head back, And I laugh at anyone who doubts Your presence even today, Or believes it is foolish to have you in their lives. Laughing even as all of us sink lower and lower Under an avalanche of ambiguity, worn out cliches, Or religious, social, and economic quandaries: Medical Bills, Foreclosures, Credit Card Debt, Unemployment, Glass Ceilings, Sexual Exploitation, Cynicism, Alienation, and Anomie. And having laughed at all the naysayers and doubters, All those who say they will have none of you or emphatically declare they have lost you along the way, I laugh again, and I say: Mankind's destiny is not abysmal, nor has it been preordained; it is forever evolving, and you hold the key with simply A touch A glance A message A smile A promise A need A thought A prayer A memory An embrace Because of you, regardless of time, place, people, or circumstance, Mankind sings your song of possibilities and renewal, And he will continue to do so, for you are his Dream Keeper for the World, Promise Weaver, Candle Lighter, Prayer Whisperer and Sorrow's Balm, Beacon of Possibilities, Medicinal Herb, Raison d'etre, Pandora's Saving Grace. <<<~~~>>> |
 Recognized |
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Format: The contest required participants to write a pastiche. A pastiche is a piece written in the style of a famous author/poet. Partipants were instructed to not plagiarize and to write about a totally different subject. Participants were also instructed to pay tribute to the author/poet by naming the work used as the model.
With my offering, "Hope's Song," I have chosen to honor the American poet, Carl Sandburg. Below, please find Sandburg's famous poem, "Chicago:"
Chicago
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967). Chicago Poems. 1916.
Additional Author Notes:
Thank you to Scribbelini for organizing this contest and for MinoYasue's moving artwork entitled, "Hope."
Raison d'etre: Translation: Reason to be. The site does not allow me to affix the needed circumflex above the letter e in "etre."
Regarding the reference to Pandora: In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her and he did, using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many talents; Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo music, Hermes persuasion, and so forth. Hence her name: Pandora, "all-gifted."
When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother. With her, Pandora had a jar which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her natural curiosity, Pandora opened the jar, and all evil contained escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the lid, but the whole contents of the jar had escaped, except for one thing which lay at the bottom, and that was Hope. To this day, regardless of people, place, time, or circumstances, there is always Hope - alive and well among the Family of Man...
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. With my offering, "Hope's Song," I have chosen to honor the American poet, Carl Sandburg. Below, please find Sandburg's famous poem, "Chicago:"
Chicago
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967). Chicago Poems. 1916.
Additional Author Notes:
Thank you to Scribbelini for organizing this contest and for MinoYasue's moving artwork entitled, "Hope."
Raison d'etre: Translation: Reason to be. The site does not allow me to affix the needed circumflex above the letter e in "etre."
Regarding the reference to Pandora: In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her and he did, using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many talents; Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo music, Hermes persuasion, and so forth. Hence her name: Pandora, "all-gifted."
When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother. With her, Pandora had a jar which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her natural curiosity, Pandora opened the jar, and all evil contained escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the lid, but the whole contents of the jar had escaped, except for one thing which lay at the bottom, and that was Hope. To this day, regardless of people, place, time, or circumstances, there is always Hope - alive and well among the Family of Man...
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