January 13, 2010
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ElectricPoetry: Poem for the New Year (Decade) 2010
"Poem for the New Year (Decade) 2010"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
01/13/10 6:15 a.m. pst
Always pondering beginnings
Forever reworking the past
to correlate with the present
Watching the clock even as I deny the existence of timeAlways pondering beginnings
As I meet another caravan of ambulance and emergency trucks
on my way out of the senior community on the way to work
Was this a passing of one with whom I greet hello on my daily walks?Another new year arrives, bringing with it a decade of possibilities
Those possibilities are endless, I proclaim forever
Possible scenarios do not include the inevitable
Impossible thoughts will never grace the patterns of my lifeOr so I am always saying, even as I think those impossible thoughts
Always rejecting negativity
Forever reliving bright moments
Shuffling the sadness to the back of the deck
Even as aces and eights are dealt all around meAlways rejecting negativity
Purging the penalties of my lifetime
While celebrating the wonder of it all
Yanking the yins and the yangs with a vengeanceAnother new year arrives, bringing with it a new decade of deliverance
Freedom from strife and procrastination
Letting loose the pain of periodic unhealthiness
Impossible thoughts will never impose on the possibilities aboundingOr so I try to convince myself, even as my body reminds me of impossible thoughts
Always looking for ideas
Always recreating creativity
Always turning on lights in the distance
Always looking forward
Always pondering beginnings"Quaking Quivering Calamity"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
01/13/10 6:30 a.m. pst
societies which have the funds to build for prevention
never seem to be hit with too much calamity
when mother nature rears her head in defiancethe nations who squander her resources
never seem to pay her price
when mother nature's back breaks to the surfacethe great plates rub up against each other
and it's the small island nations
adrift in the sea of consequence
who seem to suffer the mostthe poor and downtrodden are smitten
these people who are not at fault
the people who live and work and play
in substandard buildings rotting for decadesuntil the buildings fall
are the innocent to blame for political instability
and substandard practices
are the bleeding millions supposed to pay with their lives
in retailiation for nature's revengeful spiritman against nature, and nature will always win
man against himself, and he will never agree
so politics and bad voodoo color the ground with blood
as the rich societies offer prayers and aid packages
and appear on tv with condolences
then turn around and make the same mistakes
which irk Gaia even more as she quakes in her boots"Poem For the New Year 2009"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
January 2, 2009 5:57 a.m. pst
Change hovers over the horizon announcing her presence
Wispy dreams of a better life
or perhaps doom spiraling up into my presenceChange is a constant
She might never look the same,
nor does she announce similar pursuitsHer cloak contains many colors
Sometimes we see only the dark colors
but they hide bright ones underneathYet for all the instability of Change,
she is sometimes a facilitator for goodness
mercy
and
loveChange can be frightening
and soothing at the same time
One can become imbecilic in her presence
Yet one can use her fickleness
to his advantageThe bear went over the mountain,
but for over 15 years I have stopped to admire what the bear left behind.
At each possible turn of the page
I keep my eyes glued to the words with which I am familiar
The bear's presence is sublime,
but I don't know if he found what he was looking forHave I found what I was looking for
as I sit motionless in my memory?
Have I become fulfilled, living
moments as they happen,
alleviating pain for pleasure,
even as the pain advances slowly and steadily?Change doesn't care about me
Change simply hovers over the horizon,
laughing at my incomprehension.
The only thing that stays the same
is her presenceI hear her laugh, and pray that she laughs with me.
The house of cards will surely fall.
The winds of Change are a hailstorm of uncertaintyFor the moment, this moment, I am serene,
Dense as a rock, ingrained in my solidity,
Feeling no pain, for the moment, as I breatheChange remains hovering silently, except for the occasional chortle,
And for the moment, I chuckle back at her,
I am embracing her inconstant visage
Enlarging my meager vocabulary
to encompass her volatile ideas
I do not need this rock hard conscience
I do not need this irresolute moment
I might just need to reach out
to Change and let her guide me down the pathWhile she laughs,
And while I meet the bear
who regales me with tales of adventure and mirthChange hovers over the horizon announcing her presence,
And I invite her in and give her a cup of steaming sweet tea
so we can discuss our options
in this changing world of oursBEHIND THE POETRY: The first piece is my annual Poem for the New Year, a traditional poem I have penned for most every year since 1974. This year I'm titling it for the new decade as well. I encountered another caravan of emergency vehicles leaving the senior community in which I live this morning, another reminder of how fragile this life we live becomes in time. The second piece is my poetic response to the earthquake which hit the island of Haiti yesterday. The poem's perspective is that Mother Earth is angry at mankind, but the "guilty" are never punished, it always seems to be the innocent who live in substandard housing and in terrible conditions anyway, who bear the brunt of the earth's quaking shocks. The third poem is last year's Poem for the New Year, written as I was making planst to relocate myself after my roommate had announced he was moving out. MFN/ppf
Comments (19)
Mike
Thank you for the poetry. Comparing 2010 to 2009 you seem to be more settled this year. 2009 was a tough year for many of us. I do hope that this decade brings you everything you ever wanted.
The poem about Haiti was very touching. It does seem that the great tragedies happen to the downtrodden doesn't it.
Know that I am thinking of you.
Hugs
Kat
Nice work, Mike. The only reason the bear went over the mountain was to see if he could see why the chicken crossed the road and he learned that the chicken was just wondering what killed the cat. Exploration is the key to our salvation as well as the means to our ends. I just hope to hell we don't run out of new things to find out. I guess that would mean that everything is in, or at least, categorized as such. How much can still exist that we know nothing about? More than we can imagine, I think I hope. I don't usually comment on topical poetry... or much anything else for that matter
Ben
Mike! Your poems are number 1!
What a great way to ring in 2010!!!
You inspire me to write poetry and songs. Thanks for sharing these wondering poetry.
I really like the new years poem for 2010. New beginnings and endings.
Having produced both poems, I believe the year that was and the year ahead would not be much different in terms of your productivity. Of course, we had so much share of calamities in 2009. We just hope for the better - for new beginnings.
"Always turning on lights in the distance"~ this is my favorite line. YES!
Mike - GREAT writing my friend. I love the line "Watching the clock even as I deny the existence of time." :sunny: I too hope your 2010 and the next decade is filled with a overflowing life of smiles.
Your poetry left me speechless.
So this is where the muse has been!
One of my favorite sentences: "Watching the clock even as I deny the existence of time".
Oh, yes.
Always rejecting negativity
Forever reliving bright moments
Shuffling the sadness to the back of the deck
Even as aces and eights are dealt all around me
my favorite of all of it...that is great!
@Betrayed1959 - Dear Kat, The poor nations which don't have the money to reinforce their infrastructure are the ones which will always suffer the worst.
@Amoralis - Dear Ben, Last year when I posted that poem on the blog somebody asked about the significance of the bear. I like to think that I don't write "topical" poetry, but (ahem) timeless poetry.
@stevieheart - @suzyQ_darnit - Dear Steve and Suzy, I was thinking of my essay in the entry below when I wrote that line.
@mammaquiet - Dear Sharon, The muse never goes away. She just rests for long periods of time. Click my "electricpoetry" tag if you need a poetic "fix".
@tialoca_talks - Dear Tia, My mother played cards with us all the time, (even taught us "tricks") and I think I shall never run out of card imagery in my poetry.
The second one really touched me. I didn't realize anything had happened to Haiti until today. Well i heard something about it yesturday but didn't know what the person was talking about and didn't really find out what was going on until today. Awful that no one can get the aid to the actual people. They should just fly it over and drop food. Lots of small packages so not to hurt anyone.
Thx Mike, the first and third poems were just what i needed to read at this time. My heart goes out to the people in Haiti.
To 2010:
Funky groove
Groove solidified
Solid movement
Moving soldiers
Soldiers fire
Fire burns
Burning desires
Desiring her
Her groove
Yeah, I'm kinda horny for this year. 10 year anniversary's are such sluts.
Always looking for ideas to make it through another day!
The structure ascends glamorously into a pyramid top, delighting each guest as they arrive, and creating a vaulted ceiling, adding to the feeling of infinite space and grandeur inside.