deepundergroundpoetry.com
The Politics of Fish
Young fish sniff for bait
that could cost their peace
when swallowing it
But discerning adults
who remain uncaught
are smart
Refusing to be played
by false lures of insult
to their intelligence
Wise vertebrate
disempower fisherwo/men
who toss shit for bait
by swimming around the stench
Those are the fish
who maintain their peace
choosing waters of love instead
~
that could cost their peace
when swallowing it
But discerning adults
who remain uncaught
are smart
Refusing to be played
by false lures of insult
to their intelligence
Wise vertebrate
disempower fisherwo/men
who toss shit for bait
by swimming around the stench
Those are the fish
who maintain their peace
choosing waters of love instead
~
Published 6th Sep 2023
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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6th Sep 2023 10:22pm
Anonymous
- Edited 29th Dec 2023 8:45pm
7th Sep 2023 00:46am
<< post removed >>
7th Sep 2023 8:36am
Phenomenal writing as always is the case with you. I loved the way you conveyed this message through such stellar metaphor :) Your talent always amazes me and kind of makes me jealous some too lol j/k (well, kinda) Enjoyed as always.
7th Sep 2023 12:48pm
Great metaphor. The gift of Free Will needs constant exercise and development. Otherwise it's going with the herd.
12th Sep 2023 1:57pm
16th Sep 2023 3:42am
and BOOM!
This is one to come back to and enjoy over and over again to keep us on our toes.
This is one to come back to and enjoy over and over again to keep us on our toes.
28th Sep 2023 9:24am
The "gift of free will" was mentioned. Free will, for me, is like William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow." So much depends on it. The system of law, the concept of *mens rea,* Judgment Day, and a host of other players. The problem with that is that science is more and more proving through double-blind testing that what we think of as being Free Will seems to be a function of the un- or sub-conscious.
But obviously there must be a way to change; otherwise no one would recover from, say, addiction. I have a huge marijuana addiction, for example. I know it is killing me and yet the short-term relief from anxiety overrides time and again the clear knowledge that it's a horrendous long-term option. Today marks twenty days abstinent and I am only abstinent bc the damage can no longer be rationalized away.
My latest attempt involves trying to change my inner narrative, to create an alternate denouement to my life story that is simple and attractive enough to help me through the Minotaur's labyrinth. Something has to work--and work soon--or I will be kaput.
Your poem is filled with wisdom, as usual. I am hopscotching about in the corpus of your work and finding a very high level of...real. Real stuff. Real feelings. Real conundrums. Real hope. To it I bring Real Despair.
Helluva mix.
And one more thing: Before my latest hiatus from DUP, I was thinking with all the raucous turmoil in the world, why are we as poets not speaking out against the outrages of a world on fire? Lovely to see that YOU ARE.
But obviously there must be a way to change; otherwise no one would recover from, say, addiction. I have a huge marijuana addiction, for example. I know it is killing me and yet the short-term relief from anxiety overrides time and again the clear knowledge that it's a horrendous long-term option. Today marks twenty days abstinent and I am only abstinent bc the damage can no longer be rationalized away.
My latest attempt involves trying to change my inner narrative, to create an alternate denouement to my life story that is simple and attractive enough to help me through the Minotaur's labyrinth. Something has to work--and work soon--or I will be kaput.
Your poem is filled with wisdom, as usual. I am hopscotching about in the corpus of your work and finding a very high level of...real. Real stuff. Real feelings. Real conundrums. Real hope. To it I bring Real Despair.
Helluva mix.
And one more thing: Before my latest hiatus from DUP, I was thinking with all the raucous turmoil in the world, why are we as poets not speaking out against the outrages of a world on fire? Lovely to see that YOU ARE.
10th Jan 2024 8:22pm
Thanks for sharing your observations and personal relations to this piece. I enjoy your thoughts on Free Will. I have always attributed it to choosing morally and/or ethically. However, mens rea definitely plays a huge part in what one considers moral or ethical, as we are all products of our environment.
That being said, I do believe that there comes a time of awakening for most. Following suit with the above, that, too, would depend on one's definition of 'awakening'. There are evil people in this world who are meant to shake the core of humanity through their actions. This creates the contrast one needs to change and thus evolve. Without contrast, we would be predestined creations either gliding through life or suffering its effects.
I have never been able to smoke weed. It alters my mind in such a way that I can't function, and I hated feeling the way I felt. I dated a coke-dealer in my younger days and was totally unaffected by it. They say there's one out of a hundred that won't be - I guess I was it. It wasn't the coke! I would sit at a table and watch everyone around me transform!
Congratulations on your 'choice' to take responsibility for your health. If we can't care for ourselves, how could we anyone else? I feel totally led to suggest this - but I consume 3000 milligrams of vitamin C every single day. 1000 in the morning - afternoon - and evening. That shit can kill so much that doesn't belong in our system and it's relatively cheap. Also, Castor Oil is a miracle worker in the navel ( or anywhere else that hurts ). Use compresses of it and it literally absorbs and heals in ways that will amaze you - including your lungs.
Happy to have found a like-minded political ally in the war of truth. I honestly try to eschew factionalism, as I don't feel it's the way - we truly are one family: Human. But, I guess for now, until we evolve further as a species, democracy must be protected from the attempts of authoritarian regimes like we've never seen.
That being said, I do believe that there comes a time of awakening for most. Following suit with the above, that, too, would depend on one's definition of 'awakening'. There are evil people in this world who are meant to shake the core of humanity through their actions. This creates the contrast one needs to change and thus evolve. Without contrast, we would be predestined creations either gliding through life or suffering its effects.
I have never been able to smoke weed. It alters my mind in such a way that I can't function, and I hated feeling the way I felt. I dated a coke-dealer in my younger days and was totally unaffected by it. They say there's one out of a hundred that won't be - I guess I was it. It wasn't the coke! I would sit at a table and watch everyone around me transform!
Congratulations on your 'choice' to take responsibility for your health. If we can't care for ourselves, how could we anyone else? I feel totally led to suggest this - but I consume 3000 milligrams of vitamin C every single day. 1000 in the morning - afternoon - and evening. That shit can kill so much that doesn't belong in our system and it's relatively cheap. Also, Castor Oil is a miracle worker in the navel ( or anywhere else that hurts ). Use compresses of it and it literally absorbs and heals in ways that will amaze you - including your lungs.
Happy to have found a like-minded political ally in the war of truth. I honestly try to eschew factionalism, as I don't feel it's the way - we truly are one family: Human. But, I guess for now, until we evolve further as a species, democracy must be protected from the attempts of authoritarian regimes like we've never seen.
