“We’ll know as children again all that we are
destined to know, that the water is cold
and deep, and the sun penetrates only so far”
~ Jim Harrison from Death Again
all ingénues should wise up quickly to the fast lane
be given provincial driving plates perhaps
let the hecklers and harassers pass us by
yet tenderfoots swerve into on-coming come-ons too
silver-tongued traps for fools catch as catch can
tangled up in words we barely comprehend
reciting conceits like catechisms
it really is pathetic – a hotch-potch of pathos
and a resounding slap in the face
tears are wasted though on those who dream
of elsewhere – the Eden grabbers
white-knuckled we cling on regardless
wilfully unwise to the ways the world
must, perforce, twist the banished into shape
For the Tuesday Platform, I’m resurrecting one from the drafts folder –
one that did not quite make the grade at June time with Jilly’s prompts of Harrison quotes
PoetryPix 
That second stanza grabbed me and shook me into tiny sparks of hope and excitement. We poets, writers, artists and other creative bunch are simply not meant to follow the ways of the world. We are born to rebel! ❤️ Thank you for this incredible poem, Laura 😀
Your enthusiasm is infectious & full of sparks – thank you!
Great roll and flow. “reciting conceits like catechisms” is amazing. I also really liked “the Eden grabbers” — very evocative and thought provoking.
Thank you for such appreciation – the way words roll and flow from the combined and consecutive sounds is what I always try for
Yes, it is always what is engaging about your writing.
Both ingenues and the more experienced have to deal with maneuvering around a world rich in silver-tongued traps.
It’s a minefield out there 😉
Indeed, a thoughtful and thought-provoking verse, as you delve into this scenario with a frankness that is required to address it. I feel a certain power as well as despair in these lines:
“white-knuckled we cling on regardless
wilfully unwise to the ways the world
must, perforce, twist the banished into shape”
Yes there is despair too at how the unworldly are the architects of their own destruction because they do not/will not see clearly
“Tears are wasted on those who dream of elsewhere.” Beautiful.
Glad you liked that punchline!
I think that passion in writing can come in many ways… but passion is never mundane.
No indeed – but it is sometimes misleading !
Love the children in that photo and how your poem carries such a strength in contrast to the innocence. Of course, you had me at Harrison 😉
the children are sweet – but as Harrison says “the water is cold
and deep, and the sun penetrates only so far”.
I did enjoy your quote prompts but this one never made it at the time – thanks Jilly
Difficult indeed trying to be genuine in an eden-genuflected world, like chaffing bad wheat. Sometimes the best way to understand what we are is to shout at what we’re not.
we need to be in the world but not of the world