At the time I had no faith.
Neither in prophets 
nor the very veracious Cassandra
(for failing to foresee her own fatality).
I'd catch only the one 
featureless 
       futureless 
              maxim

It was spoken
broken as a record
in spin top revolutions
making me giddy, sick
fearful. For the young of fun
felt freakishly false,
mechanical as laughter
from craze-eyed mannequins.

Incarnate hades masked as theatre
halled with distortions
but He was there too
even in that ghoulish glow of limelight
the assured seer 
caparisoned in prayer shawl
luminous spheres of then
and then in each hand. 

Daunting though this: balancing
 what was with what will be
-just as the prophecy

21 thoughts on “Then and then”

1. I like the layout and shape of this poem, Laura, the internal rhyme in ‘It was spoken / broken as a record’ and the sounds in the lines:
   ‘felt freakishly false,
   mechanical as laughter
   from craze-eyed mannequins’
   and
   ‘ghoulish glow of limelight’.

   1. many thanks Kim – internal rhymes for what turned out to be a very internal poem

2. This is a captivating piece Laura, and love the Harrison quote.

   1. without Harrison the Muse can often not begin – thankyou Linda for being our host

      1. Yes, totally agree. Happy to do so, Laura!

3. A great poem. I loved the spinning record double meaning. Interesting how your poem comes full circle. There are some things that we are ok with not knowing!

   1. appreciate your interpretation Dwight as has not really seen the spin around till now

      1. you are welcome!

4. Your opening lines quickly drew me in. This is raw and honest. Admired the word choices as Kim has also pointed out.

   1. thank you Grace for being so drawn to this quite excoriated poem

5. Well gosh Laura, me not a very classic mentality – not at all. Nor did I know who Cassandra was – so I looked her up. What an interesting idea just in her story. Those old Greeks were pretty mean folk.

   1. ahh without the myths where would we poets – or psychoanalysts- be!

6. An arc between divination and perhaps divine inspiration. Much to ponder.

   1. pondering your comment too Paul – I like that!

7. The spheres of then and then in each hand…we are always trying to slip between them while peering into them at the same time. (K)

   1. and funny how both past and future are ‘then’

      1. Yes. Only one now, but multiple thens.

         1. “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle

8. “…then and then” … “balancing what was with what will be…” love this work of word artistry and all the messages within.

   1. thank you for such generous feedback

9. A difficult balancing act, but so is life! I enjoyed trying to decipher the internal struggle.

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