Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Island of Tired Truths

Last weekend, the solid ground moved unsportingly from under my firmly-fastened feet, when I was looking smug and feeling so tres bien. This left me twisting and turning all night long like the roiling ocean.

I saw twelve tortured months tee off backward and then forward, over and over again, like an infant's Viewmaster. But in the poignant chaos I found a fickle, floating island full tired truths and foggy philosophies.

Nothing is as it clearly seems at first. How can you be so ecclesiastically certain that you are right, when it might be Your Royal Highness who's hanging upside down with the whole world standing upright? Experience is a poor guide; emotion a cheap and deceptive compass. Patience requires no map, for she rarely loses her way.

I've beaten my way back in more happy ways than one. I really like it here, and I'm not going back!

9 comments:

  1. Charlie i loved the poem. I wish i can convince you to write more of those. Keep up the good work.
    Kweku A

    ReplyDelete
  2. very good at all.

    1.0 nana yaw a., this appears to be the most active ghanaian blog i have seen, and i congratulate you for your energy.

    2.0 the words are handled with dexterity and phrases delivered with flair.

    3.0 which goes to show that language is a beautiful thing, and words can be eaten, enjoyed, digested.

    ReplyDelete
  3. you write such beautiful poems, yet so sad it breaks my heart. Welcome back, this is more uplifting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kweku, maybe I will change my mind and post my poetry on Saturdays and Sundays.How about that? :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Martin, my dear friend, I am very grateful for your kind words. I assure you, though, that if I cannot find anything worthwhile to write, I'll y'all some respect and leave the space blank :))

    ReplyDelete
  6. For all readers...contact me for the story behind "Island of Tired Truths". Im charging a pesewa a word. Oh! I forgot to add my address.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kiz, is our confidence really going for a song? :-(

    ReplyDelete
  8. I LOVE this piece! My fav part is "Nothing is as it clearly seems at first. How can you be so ecclesiastically certain that you are right, when it might be Your Royal Highness who's hanging upside down with the whole world standing upright? "

    I have some suggestions though. The repetition of the word compass doesn't do much for the piece. Some suggestions for replacements could be: guide, compass can stay with the second one and for the third map. And if you remove the word is from after experience it reads better.

    So it would say:

    'Experience is a poor guide. Emotion a cheap and deceptive compass. Patience requires no map, for she rarely loses her way.'

    just suggestions feel free to ignore me if you don't like 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for this, Toks. You won't believe how much of my sleeping time I spent looking for alternative words. Of course, I am grateful for your suggestions, and I will amend at once. :) Repetition is a bad thing for writing unless emphasis is the intention. Thanks, again. :)

    ReplyDelete

After writing your comment, please select the Name/URL box below, and write your name in the box, before submitting your comment.