The Prodigal Son (An Old Tale Revisited) Poem by Daniel Brick

The Prodigal Son (An Old Tale Revisited)

Rating: 4.9


When the prodigal son returned
home, his father, all forgiveness
and delight, announced a party
at once. And at once he set to work.
Even the most distant relative
was summoned, and people nearby, even strangers
just passing through this vicinity of joy,
were invited. All of them crowded
around the boy, jostling for the best place,
breathing the available air, leaving him gasping,
unable to respond to their blandishments.
He broke free, when he father was occupied
elsewhere, found an empty spot on the second
level, a few inches of silence, and settled in.
He was drinking too much wine, gulping down
glass after glass, as servants dutifully responded.
Below, he saw his father in the middle
of a pack of servants, some carrying wine
flasks, others trays of food. His father was giving
expert directions, pointing here and there,
even waving up to his eldest son.The boy
was shocked. How could he possibly find me?
he wondered. Then, he saw his three younger
brothers warily staring up at him,
making no effort to turn their sneers
into smiles. Abruptly, they vanished
into the huge banquet hall...

Around midnight, sated with wine and people,
the honored guest slipped away, avoiding
eye contact, and walked down an immense
hallway which connected this southern wing
with the two northern wings of his father's
sprawling mansion. 'All this is yours,
my dear son, ' his father had smiled
the day before his first escape attempt.
He had reached the fortified border
center before the strings that bound
him to his family, stretched taut, suddenly
snapped him back. He was walking slowly, drunkenly,
down the empty corridor, until he reached
an immense stone chair. He climbed
awkwardly to the seat, and sprawled
in its excess space. The stone chair
was a relic of an earlier age
when men were still giants. Legendary
warriors, they wore no armor, they
carried no weapons. They wrestled
their way to dominion but no one
stayed on top for long. There were
always new wrestling matches, with
challengers gloating, there were new
conquests to make, new widows go pursue -

He awoke suddenly, after several
hours of drunken sleep. Clearly, cutting
through his stupor, the Dream had spoken
to him, and It would guide his third
escape. He bolted from the giant's chair,
and ran down the hollow corridor, echoes of
his haste bombarding the silent walls. His
father, his younger brothers, the courtiers
would all be in deep sleep, having been guided
to their chambers by sober servants. It was
not difficult to get some of them to prepare
a horse and supplies for him. He followed
the curving, upward slope of the road
to an elevation, where he paused but
did not dismount. The impatience of escape
thoroughly possessed him. Looking down
on his father's opulent mansion, the one
promised him again and again, he was
puzzled. This is not my home... Even
his thoughts were very quiet. He shook
his body, regaining alertness. Let my brothers
wrestle for it! My home is elsewhere.
'Good-bye, my dear father, ' he spoke softly
in the still morning air one last time.
'You tried to give me everything,
but it was all just chains and locks!
All I want, all I need is to breathe
ample air freely.' At his signal, the horse
began to gallop down the road, which
widened with every passing mile.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: narrative
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Abekah Emmanuel 24 September 2014

Wonderfully written! You have a wonderful imagination Daniel. Your ability to narrate the famous biblical story of 'The Prodigal Son' with such modern flavor is fantastic.I followed the movie you are showing and enjoyed with my mind's eye. Well written........Nice job!

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Sana Ghostana 26 September 2014

The story you tell in this poem...It reminded me much of God and the Archangels story. Michael made the charished son of his father, God.(After Lucifer began to rebel, that is.) All others (Gabriel, Raphiel, etc.) pleased and proud. I saw Lucifer's envy as I read your line, None of them bothering to turn their sneers into smiles. As for the running away part...Well, I have my own (personal) view on that. You were nothing but correct; however, those who are rich in materials are often poor in love and spirit. Though his father was trying to give him everything, his father was oblivious to his sons' emotions. The most loved felt trapped, and the less cherished felt abandoned. Only to fight for dominance and survival between who is loved the most and is therefore the 'fittest'. Classic sibling rivalry made deeper by your poem... Excellent job. -SOH

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Glen Kappy 14 September 2017

i'm surprised, with the title of this one, that it didn't catch my attention before. mainly, daniel, i'm interested in what prompted this retelling. -glen

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Frank Avon 27 October 2014

I keep being drawn back to this poem. I hope you know just how fine it is. And sobering (literally) . So often we chain our children when what we desire is to liberate them. Have you thought of writing a follow-up from the point of view of the father (you can tell where my sympathies lie) and maybe the elder brother. Most of my poems based on biblical stories are done as monologues. They are filed away somewhere, but I am editing one now, placing it piece by piece on PH. It's called 'Apostolorum Apostola': you might find it interesting. It's still a bit rough, but I'm editing the drafts of other sections now, then I'll come back and refine the one I've posted. Any suggestions?

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Hazel Durham 16 October 2014

A great story of his son's natural instinct to want to taste freedom, even though his father was going to give him all his wealth, he wanted none of it as he had no passion to live like his father. Beautifully told story about our hidden desires that we can turn into reality! !

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Valsa George 30 September 2014

I thought this story would be having a parallel stream of development as the story of the Prodigal Son. But in the second stanza, as the banquet was on, when he withdrew into a solitary spot, I guessed the story was going to take a different turn.Later when he got drunk and the insatiable longings in him came to the fore, he broods of an escape from the 'suffocating' love of his domineering father! But he finds the strings that bind him stretching taut and difficult to snap..... This part makes the story more convincing! For any man it is not easy to break off the family ties without a sense of pain! But his craving for wild and unrestrained freedom gains dominence over him and without remorse, he gallops away to a world of no fetters! From start to finish the story had a smooth flow and an element of suspense to hold the readers! Enjoyed it thoroughly!

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Paul Sebastian 27 September 2014

A beautiful narrative of a son who returns and rides away to search for better things than living an ordinary life. A walk away from the scriptural Prodigal Son story but yet reflective. The flow of words and the style of writing is unique. Daniel, you should attempt writing short stories or write a novel. You have it!

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