The Crossing Part One Poem by Daniel Brick
The Crossing Part One
There are poems we love
in which nothing is fixed
in time: the words are
of the past as much as they are
of the present, and their future
hovers nearby, visible to those
with eyes to see. What I want is
the collapse of time upon itself,
so that the present time of remembering
merges with past time of acting, and
the two become one. I will say this
as simply as possible: I want to touch
the flesh of those people who occupy
my mind, I want to close the gap
between flesh and thought, between now
and then. I don't want to sleep and
dream of our common pleasures while
they suffer and feel the sharp edge
of immediate sorrow and are bound
to grief. I am human too, I must
suffer alongside them...
Life is doing what you will
in the time before Death drops
into the scene, and says casually,
because he is inevitable:
OK, folks, it's over. Wrap
it up, get ready to move out.
Before death drops....that's in interesting way of talking about how death intercedes into our lives. Yes, it is inevitable. I agree that the older one gets, the more difficult it is to live in the present and to lose the people who have been so important in our lives. If only we could collapse time upon itself so that we can hug our memories in the flesh. The flesh is the key here. There are many ways we can connect through our minds, our phones, our computers, our memories, but there is nothing like flesh and bone. Thanks for sharing your Part One poem Daniel.
TO HUG OUR MEMORIES IN THE FLESH - there can be so better expression of what this poem deals with, When I read your comment, Pam, the whole poem flashed in my mind. And it occurred to me: Would I give up poetry if I could indeed do that? Is poetry just a compensation for what is lost? I don't know the answer, but it certainly suggests one MORE reason to labor with language and create poems out of that encounter. TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT - in the immediate flesh - that is truly THE KEY. Your comment is blessed!
Close the gap between flesh and thought between now and then..touching lines. :)
Those are my favorite lines too, Rini. The feeling of the poem is at its most intense in that passage..
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/6/2024 9:05:45 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Gigantic lines: There are poems we love in which nothing is fixed in time: the words are of the past as much as they are of the present, and their future hovers nearby, visible to those with eyes to see. What I want is the collapse of time upon itself, so that the present time of remembering merges with past time of acting, and the two become one. I- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -But look what our clever Master Poet did! ! ! ! The structure of the poem- -how one line dropped down into the next line, demonstrating the idea of how time is not fixed! and look how the structure creates the illusion of past present and future hovering in and out and over these lines! ! ! Oh, yes, Daniel, your structure did a great job of collapsing - time upon itself, so that the present time of remembering merges with past time of acting, and the two become one. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You never fail to amaze! ! ! ! ! Onto my fav list with a million 10's floating in admiration around it!
I'm glad I could write this poem on the mystery of time, and believe me - your enthusiasm for it warms me and makes the effort so worth while. I recently listened to Jeremy Irons recite Eliot's FOUR QUARTETS in his resonant voice. That poem is a profound meditation on time and eternity and I was inspired to write my thoughts. And then the Second Part came to me which deals with eternity and the possibility of an afterlife. I like your comments in the poem's structure and the illusion of time in the language. I can enjoy these aspects of the poem through your appreciation of them.