Image by vpickering via Flickr
Submitted to Jingle’s Poetry Rally: http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/ Stop by and enjoy the work of a host other seasoned and upcoming poets.
Duality
An Etheree
Sun,
shadow,
light and dark
merge into one,
brighten the forest,
eclipse the dawning morn.
Do you understand these words?
I am a woman; you’re a man.
I am a Christian; you don’t believe
in anything you cannot see or touch
or comprehend in terms of science.
Together we are Everyman
who seeks to taste the meaning
of a life unfolding
in obscurity.
Come with me, then.
taste beauty,
flowers,
joy.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
[…] Duality December 2010 44 comments and 10 Likes on WordPress.com 5 […]
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[…] Victoria: https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/duality/ […]
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I like the way the words are arranged, they pack a punch.
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[…] Victoria: https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/duality/ […]
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Taste beauty, flowers, joy … may we all have them these days of holy holidays! Thanks for the visit to my blog, sorry for the late return visits! Wishing you a great Christmas!
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Very clever, something many people nowadays have to think of.
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I am impressed that you’re not afraid to use formal structures (rather than free verse). Bits of this remind me of Rebecca’s speeches in the Terrence Mallick film The New World. I wonder whether you could have worked more imagery into the poem in order to convey the sense of difference more starkly?
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I nominate the poem for perfect poet award.
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Thank you, sir. And thanks for your kind comments.
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I read it as:-
Woman as light and man as darkness in everybody
Woman as religion and man as non believer
Knowledge and ignorance combined, completing every individual
God and Devil in everyone, living together
Then in the form of etheree (encountered first time)
Worth the pleasure we seek in reading .
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Wonderful work, I loved this piece to no end! The duality of ourselves, our friends, humanity. All works with this offering. Thanks so much for sharing, sorry for the delay in reading!
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Like the style and philosophy, mixed together with an interesting idea for presenting both…very cool
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Very nice, well done thanks for sharing
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That really captured the essence of life as we know it. I used to feel if science took out the romance out of moonlight and stars… but yeah duality is what we are about… great work…
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Thanks, Orange. Wish you’d leave your URL so I can return the visit!
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I love the style; I, too, never heard of this form of poetry before I read your piece. You also always have a lovely way with words.
“Together we are Everyman
who seeks to taste the meaning
of a life unfolding
in obscurity.”
I also love, and agree with, the message of your poem. Our differences do not have to divide us. It’s like the yin and the yang. They complement each other and find a balance in the middle. We should learn to meet one another half way and consequently, find balance and peace and
“taste beauty,
flowers,
joy”.
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It must be not only difficult to work in so strict a form but to actually come up with something meaningful and well crafted.
Personally i think this is very successful.
Thoroughly enjoyed the poem
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nice. like the top-to-bottom symmetry of it–really fits the piece.
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The form is quite interesting as are your images. Good job.
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Kudos on a beautifully drawn poem and thanks for the intro to a new form. Well done!
Happy Rally days …
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so beautifully put! something and samething that I was trying to tell him.. and he wudnt listen!
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this is one of the best poems i have ever read!
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Nicely done – and I learned a new form today!
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I love how you bring them together with acceptance of their differences and recognition that one need not change the other- that both are valid.
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wow!!
so different
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we CAN live together, even though we have difference… we can enrich each other’s lives.
I have a similar subject:
http://ukeepwalkingforward.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/we-hate/
~Drew
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sun shadow light and dark…and us….
beautiful victoria…yes in this life we forget about the little joys in life…
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Very well said..!!
I am with you.. 🙂
Love xx
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I liked the lines:
who seeks to taste the meaning
of a life unfolding
in obscurity.
Excellent poem…thank you for sharing.
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Love the image of duality and the way your took us through a world of differences with the end result as beauty…
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Love the shape of the poem, and the syllable pattern. I understand what you mean about non-believers not wanting to understand the immaterial, its the fun thing about being both a Christian and a scientist (firmly in that order). The immaterial keeps its beauty and the science proves God’s awesome power. Love the poem.
The Lonely Recluse
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I love how you merge contrasts so effectively here. And I am a bit partial (because of my work in the women’s movement) but I especially love how the woman invites the man to experience life a bit more fully. A also appreciate how inclusive she is despite (or because of?) her spirituality. Definitely a different kind ‘f “Christian” than how right-wing evangelists are portrayed in politics and our society.
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Very well done. I had never heard of this form of poetry and thankfully you were the one to introduce it to me because you did a fantastic job of it. The tone was ginger and sweet but you also touched on themes I dealt with. You have inspired me to perhaps one day try my own hand at this form.
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I hope you give it a try, Shamika. And maybe you’ll share it with me in comments or on your blog? It’s a fun form to work with.
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Nice thoughts ma’am
Here’s my poetry
http://ashbeezone.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/love-is/
!! Happy Rally !!
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“..and they’ll know we are Christians by our love..”
Very nice.
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I loved this touching poem on duality, Victoria–“Together, we are Everyman”–so true. It created a beautiful etheree.
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I love that you chose a form and then executed it so flawlessly. Bravo!
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[…] Victoria: https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/duality/ […]
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[…] Victoria: https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/duality/ […]
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Love the merging of contrasting shadows, ideaologies, belief sytems…then taking man and woman and unveiling ‘Everyman’. Reminds me of a garden from long ago…Nicely done.
Thank you for visiting my site and for your encouragement concerning bipolar!
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beautiful..
this is tech oriented and well done..
Thanks for the contribution…
🙂
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How you shape these beautiful thoughts into a Christmas tree ornament is a complete mystery to me.
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The shape occurs as a result of the form. The etheree is a syllable-driven poem: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 which can be repeated if you like.
There are other etheree’s in older posts. Try it…it’s fun.
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Thanks for the explanation of etheree. I have to give it a try. I finally understood why we need duality at this point, something that has been a mystery for years. My next poem will be about this. Your poem is lovely and I love the form. hugs, pat
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