Rock Wall Poem by M.J. Lemon

Rock Wall

Rating: 4.9


Cheerful consent means
Not to dream or
To press up against
The rock wall and
Fear standing
Without support

The crow touches
Heaven, wings beating
Sweeping the sky.
Content to carry the rock
On its back the fly
Releases a pebble

Down below the granite
Anchor keeps silent
Time and invites a child
To explore the eternal
While the rock saps courage
It builds the dream.

Sunday, March 15, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: dreams
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Richard Wlodarski 16 December 2016

With outstretched wings You're the eagle Touching heaven Wakening Bukowski To watch you in grand flight

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Mj Lemon 18 December 2016

Thank you so much, Richard. So much appreciated.

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Sarah Mkhonza 13 December 2016

There are powerful metaphors in this poem. I like the reference to the eagle, but the metaphor of the rock makes me see the eagle way out there on some big rock I cannot even climb. It also makes me see the power of the rocks in our lives. I was lost about the fly though although in comparison with the eagle I can see why it releases a pebble. As I write I know I want you to see that I could take a literal reading of the metaphors and still need your help in getting beyond them, which I think I would enjoy in an interaction with you or another reader. It is a lovely poem, one I would enjoy to teach in a class where I can hear students reacting to what they feel when they read it. Thanks for writing it. Best poem I have read in a long time.

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Mj Lemon 15 December 2016

Thank you so much, Sarah. I worked through this poem by incorporating several myths/parables/folk tales. yes, I think it would be interesting to see how different people might interpret some of the imagery, The eagle does remind me of the great bird on the rock. It was only after writing did I make the connection between pebble, flies, and the stonefly.... Thanks again, Sarah.

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Susan Williams 05 October 2016

I really really really like this! ! ! I am drawn to it like that proverbial moth to the flame. Do I totally understand it? No. Do I have to totally understand it? I don't think so. I think I may grow into it in time. There have been times I have read a book or a short story or a poem and thought it was a wonderful experience, added depth to my soul, expanded my heart's horizons. Years later I read it again and found a trillion more gems in it than I had before. I'm all for poetry that grows with me! I think I get what you say about cheerful consent- -when I was young I fought the man so to speak, the older I got, the less I struggled and the more I consented to the way life was being run. The older I got the more I consented cheerfully- -thus marking the death of that inner fire that creates Van Gogh's and cummings'. I soared with these lines: The crow touches Heaven, wings beating Sweeping the sky. Content to carry the rock On its back the fly Releases a pebble.- - - - - - - - - - - - I have no idea what that hitchhiker is doing on that crow's back dropping pebbles on the earth below but the image tickles me one moment- then the next moment I read it differently. - -I am still reading again and again the third stanza- -I keep getting flickers of understanding then I flame out. And you know what? ? I would not have you write this any other way- -it is captivatingly elusive, charming, and intelligent. Thank you for this gift of a poem! 10+++++++++++

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Mj Lemon 06 October 2016

Susan, Thank you so much. These remarks are some of the kindest words I've ever received. And I am really glad that you are having this reaction to this poem. What actually inspired it was some of my favourite movies....the type that seem so simple, so straightforward, and then somehow manage to avoid or evade any genre or categorization. I took that thought and combined it with a few folk legends from different cultures. There was some connection with respect to theme and moral, but little overlap in terms of content, or maybe plot. The result ws this poem. The intent is to try to convey something familiar, yet strange. Maybe that's how some movies are made, too? ? I'm looking forward to more of your work. I'll be returning to your page sometime over the weekend....I'll want to spend a lot of time with your verse.

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Melvina Germain 16 October 2015

We find solace in the end perhaps while going forward, the meek becomes strong and no more need for rocks to cry out from the pain of our ancestors, good or bad. This poem takes me far beyond and I love searching for answers.....

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Mj Lemon 16 October 2015

Thank you, Melvina. Yes, we can either find the anchor, or find ourselves crushed beneath it...

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Kumarmani Mahakul 16 June 2015

Wonderful imagery. Enjoyed. Thanks.

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Mj Lemon 17 June 2015

Thank you for this kind observation.

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