Who Said This? Poem by Daniel Brick
Who Said This?
Three Riddles of Identity
I
When a heart breaks, the crack runs
down the middle, and the two halves
collapse, falling in opposite directions.
The left side mourns lost opportunity:
it is a dull throbbing pain, as if
the heart were still beating in tandem
with another it cannot grasp. The right side
remains inert, never again to be aroused,
the crowded pages of desire forever closed.
II
It happened the way mistakes happen:
when I wasn't paying attention, was distracted
from the moment of being, that's when
the beauty of this day revealed itself
as a hidden cornucopia, and poured flowers
and fruits over my body, sweet flowers and
gorgeous fruits poured their fragrance
over me, enveloped me in wonder upon wonder.
And birds shifted their flight paths and descended.
III
Was their a time, kinder than our age,
when my crimes could be forgiven,
even forgotten? I can readily fulfill
the terms of my restored status. I attend
a ceremony of recollection, geared toward
remorse, an emotion I can readily adopt.
Afterwards, a gathering of colleagues
in a private celebration, with tiny cakes
and champagne, perhaps a string quartet playing Mozart.
Daniel, The Other Daniel, and The other OTHER Daniel? I am puzzled by the riddle of identity. Is it the same story told three different ways? It seems like a story of broken love, with each version giving a different perspective and language to a similar experience. Read together, I get a more complete picture of what is being described. I am gathering (and I am so curious if this is what the speaker is saying or if you think I'm COMPLETELY off base) that there was a beautiful perfect love (two matching halves) , but then there was an infidelity (It happened the way mistakes happen: and it was a beautiful mistake at the time...until the speaker became carrion) , and then there is an attempt to put it all back together again (I can readily fulfill the terms of my restored status) , but the effort falls short and so the other OTHER Daniel holds a divorce party in his style with Mozart and champagne! :) (ceremony of recollection, geared toward remorse) ....OK...I have a feeling I am completely off on this one, but it was fun letting my imagination sail free! :)
Heartbreak..........Accident..........Forgiveness/Repentance.........This poem can be interpreted in many ways. A thought provoking poem indeed. Nice riddles I liked them all.
I like your list of nouns, really like them as a solution. As you say there can be multiple answers, but I for one will come to rest in yours!
I have off late been not in the best of shapes when it comes to my intellect, but this poem - or maybe three different poems (¿?) - somehow made me scratch my head furiously and I tried my heart out to interpret this one.. To me, somehow, I feel as if it is not a single 'linear' poem, but three poems putting forward an 'impression' of the state of mind of a single person. The first part, I assume, has a relatively young speaker (maybe around his earliest twenties, I don't know why, but I feel he will be just fresh from a teenage phrase, and not yet into what we may call a proper 'adulthood') . He is suffering from a heartbreak - a heartbreak that left him utterly shattered - let me take more liberties and say that it was a heartbreak with his high school sweetheart, or maybe someone he fell in love with at an even early age. The impact of it leaves him in a situation, where half his ability to love is lost forever, and rest is in such a state, that is like a fire burning under the ashes - not wind or a poker but a few litres of gasoline would require to ignite a new fire - a new passionate love - in his chest for a new beloved. The second part is about the speaker (assuming we have the same speaker in all three poems/parts) , maybe around in his forties - again I will take some liberty and fill in between the lines - post his heartbreak he lived a life of recklessness, perhaps casual flings, partying, drinking, hedonism (? ?) - and it wasn't until that time that he understands that he is not meant for such activities - that a man whose heart was broken into two - such a sensitive man is not one to 'waste away' his life, but he must take into his soul the beauty of tender Nature - something that his OWN nature resembles - tender, soft, and sensitive.. This realisation leads us into the third part... In the third part, the speaker- I will go and assume he is old enough to be superanuated- is now wondering about the two(or maybe three halves, the one where he was a child to his heartbreak, the subsequent 'crazy' phrase, and the final phrase of self-realisation) halves of his lives, and although he might have got some regrets - faint as the sound of the breeze on a Spring's afternoon - he is content, maybe even generally happy, that despite traversing on many paths, he finally came to point in his life where he can, with satisfaction, sit with his friends, and listen to Mozart... It was a riddle Daniel, and here is my 'solution' - I know therr are meant to be no 'real' solution to this - but do tell me, if you liked it. Thanks for your works, as always, even in my dullest phrases, they make me think :)
What matters in the long run is your growth and refinement. You approach each task of interpretation as if the fate of the kingdom depended on you. And it does! The kingdom would collapse were it not for your efforts. That's my metaphor for your mental endeavor!
Wow! You really had me racking my brain over this one, I was dissecting and writing notes all over the place. I tend to agree with Pamela and Kelly for the most part. Mourning lost opportunities with someone you loved, wanting them to be open to you once again, thinking there was nothing left of desire, being numb. Turning away, distracted, wanting love and affection. Being unfaithful, yet feeling alive again - a sweet and fragrant wonder settling over you. Shifting your focus, descending, falling from grace, feeling remorseful, wanting forgiveness, to put the past behind you, remember and celebrate what you had. Majorly thought provoking at it's best, Daniel! Don't leave me in suspense, please let me know how far off this is. Thank you for this journey through an imaginative intellect. RoseAnn
Every thing you wrote here rings true, RoseAnn. You get the nature of each fragment A-N-D SHOW HOW THEY INTERACT. That's the key I could not find. These are fragments of a poem that would not come into being for me. I wondered if another poet could do something with what I could not complete. Well, you have identified the central drama and prevailing emotions. The person behind these freagments has a recognizable identity. Your imagining was keen and deep.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/25/2024 9:32:01 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Disappointment, regret, and rebirth if it should be so.