What you'll find for the Day 689 post are two complementary pieces of poetry. The title of one - "Quetzecoatl" - will conjure up images and concepts to your mind from an ancient age. The title of the other - "War Party - A Poem To Bring Our Troops Back Home Where They Belong" may allow you to stay firmly grounded to the present, but regardless, the pieces aren't drastically opposing to each other.
Each poem has a meaning and urgency in its own right, however, the "War Party [...]" poem seems to display a whole lot of repetition - and this poem is of greater length, so the feel of it is that it is of a more urgent tone than the Quetzocoatl piece. I think the Quetzocoatl poem may just be more condensed, is all, and both poems require focus and attention.
My favourite lines of Quetzecoatl:
There were strange days upon me and my body and race
I can hear, as I'm fighting, as I take up the bottle
I am drinking it down with my Quetzecoatl...
I can hear, as I'm fighting, as I take up the bottle
I am drinking it down with my Quetzecoatl...
[lines 6, 7, 8 above, balanced with lines 28-31 below]
Asking a deep sleepwalker in the waiting abyss
To remit, and the Father will not question your fear
As the dreams come out of the little glass bottles
Making my choice just like Quetzecoatl...
To remit, and the Father will not question your fear
As the dreams come out of the little glass bottles
Making my choice just like Quetzecoatl...
My favourite lines of the 2nd poem:
Before we're going through something
That's so much worse than any of it was before as
If you are pledging allegiance to the war
It feels just like it did before once more
Underground and overboard it feels just like before
You are actually giving something that isn't yours
You are actually giving something that isn't yours
That's so much worse than any of it was before as
If you are pledging allegiance to the war
It feels just like it did before once more
Underground and overboard it feels just like before
You are actually giving something that isn't yours
You are actually giving something that isn't yours
[lines 26-32 in one consecutive line block]
I appreciate the attention to balance in the first poem while I found something different to appreciate in the longer poem - repetition. I supposed the first poem is written with limited wording so its lines make each message more clear, while the longer 2nd poem has length for repetition. I found in the latter, the repetition has the effect of reminding one of bullets fired over and over again - repetitive military movement - calisthenics, even repetitive words such as are used with brainwashing...
In the first piece, there is something about the bottle mentioned, then returned to (balance) that adds to the sublime quality of the piece. In the second poem, sublimity is enhanced by the repetition of forceful words - words clearly understood the first time they were read but repeated nonetheless 'til we're almost dizzy with the repetition (perhaps Blake is trying to brainwash us! lol). For the first poem, we're taken into sublimity with the hint of what's in that bottle...for the second piece, we're brought to sublimity by having our senses assaulted - apt title on that 2nd piece with the word "War" in it...
Interesting...
I'll let others interpret from here...
The Day 689 post is associated with Monday January 21 2011.
Interesting stuff! Keep it up!
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