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Wednesday 4 May 2011

Cloud shapes



The question mark
so long hung over me,
my world, its works,
my faith
and certainty.

The mushroom cloud
that traumatised my youth
has turned the question upside down,
has made of it a hook
from which to hang the truth.


The image is Jingle Poetry's prompt for this week, the poem my response to it.

15 comments:

Cloudia said...

Yes, we grew up under that mushroom shadow....



Warm Aloha from Waikiki


Comfort Spiral

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Windsmoke. said...

Their were a lot of mushroom clouds over Outback Australia when the British Military were testing Nuclear Bombs. I wonder how many people died of cancer because of these tests :-).

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful image - turning the question into a hook by flipping it over. Just as elephants stir the bones of their dead trying to understand, and remember, so we stir and flip our questions and the things that make us seek answers - the puzzles that face us, these are our best teachers and vessels for growth. Your mushroom shaped cloud was a perfect example of this. And hanging the truth - wow. From a simple image of teacup to the harsh reality of a suicide victim - your simple little poem is filled with depth and questions...

anthonynorth said...

An excellent treatment of that image. I spent 9 years in the RAF, mainly on UK air defence bases during the late 70s, early 80s. Exercising for days at a time in gas mask and NBC suit brought the horror of those mushroom clouds to stark intensity.

Mary said...

Dave, this poem gave me a lump in my throat. And the picture that inspired it, wow! (I am now following your blog.)

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! Your best one yet. I absolutely love it.


Have you thought about making it into a calligram of a qm? It would look pretty good.

Isabel Doyle said...

endless question and no easy (or any?) answers
well put response, sir

Jim Murdoch said...

It's a great image but the good thing is that the poem doesn't depend on the photo. And I love the punch line.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

love this one,

simply words, brilliant thoughts.

you rocked.

A++

CiCi said...

You captured a great photo of an upside down question mark.

Great writing to go with the photo. I so relate to the question mark hanging over me. Over it all. Ha.

Tabor said...

Never thought of clouds this way...my most recent post dwelt on the clouds of data that we trust..now you can add a verse to that poem with a new cloud.

flaubert said...

Intense piece of writing, Dave. Well done to the pic.

Pamela

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Concise and powerful, the final image breathtaking.

Liz Rice-Sosne said...

Well my comment certainly will not be original ... but it will be truthful. This is brilliant! Very clever.

Dave King said...

Cloudia
We did indeed.

Windsmoke
An absolutely appalling episode. Many British - and no doubt, Commonwealth - troops deliberately exposed.

brokenpenwriter
Hi and thanks. A lovely inage from you also. The metaphor of the elephants is exactly right.

anthonynorth
My worry is that we're losing that stark intensity when maybe we should not be.

Mary
Many thanks for that. Great to have you with us!

imnotaverse
You have me there, I'm afraid. No idea what is a calligram or a qm. Shall have to look them up, but pushed for time just now.

Isabel
No, you're right: no easy answers.

Jim
Yes, you're right about the image dependency. I've made that mistake a couple of times. Thanks for the punch line comment.

Jingle
Much appreciate the comment. Thanks.

TechnoBabe
Better a question mark, than a mushroom cloud, I suppose. Thanks for your response.

Tabor
Great thought. I had also thought of the Cloud of Unknowing.

Pamela
Thanks Pamela, an encouraging comment.

Tommaso
Much thank for that.

Liz
I can live with "brilliant". It's all I really need! Thanks.