hand me downs,
heresy, and hope
the rules of karma
are hard to follow
…….so much is unintentional
…….and yet, pain is caused
…….i never kill spiders
…….but stay away from me
…….if you’re a fly
…….that hardly seems fair
…….i am biased
…….despite all attempts
…….at magnanimity
i sit here in this garden
i pull weeds that want to grow
i displace ants and snails
…….simply striving to survive
…….we all play god
…….in our own small way
bending rules
breaking promises
…….forgiving
…………forgetting
……………..pretending
…….awards are given
…….for best posture
…….stand tall
…….reach for the sky
…………offer penance
……………..for a pittance
……………..next time,
……………..you will soar
July 17th, 2012 at 8:46 am
please include this one in your book. the one i am waiting for…xoxo
July 17th, 2012 at 8:48 am
I do not fret about next time, yet I still find it difficult to weed and raze. Perhaps I’m naïve, or as PaulSimon said, maybe I think too much. Glad to find like-minded gardeners of life.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:36 am
we do play god. it is a hard role to live up to, si? i have a feeling god doesn’t stay awake at night, worrying that the ants find a new home. it is the ants’ karma(s) to start again.
this is wonderful.
July 17th, 2012 at 10:58 am
I’m with Graciel, where’s the book 🙂
July 17th, 2012 at 11:02 am
This strikes me as I too save spiders (but also flies) and just asked my best friend after watching him pull weeds in his garden to stop killing the baby plants. It felt discriminatory :). I happily avoid gardening as it’s illegal to water here so the forest goes about its business and I can remain happily naive. Beautiful and thought provoking, your work has ‘soul’.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
I move spiders and and such to get them out of harms way but when it comes to bees and wasps I don’t hesitate to kill them. Gorgeous image.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
hey –
i’m always thinking on this… i hate killing anything, even a nat or flidge… i hate the mess lol… if i make it back i’ll be a rat,no doubt…
we do all play god… i think it would be better if we stopped playing and took our roles more seriously!
your structure weaves out the words with ever readable lines and connections…
uplifting 😀
July 17th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
lots of truth in this…karma def is hard when you think of all the unintentional death or displacement we cause just in living…we do all play god wether we like to think that or not…
July 17th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
We do play god, don’t we? bending rules
breaking promises…so true! I love this. You always have a great way with this thing called life 🙂
July 17th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
true that…there was one year when i tried to kill the thousands of snails that ate my newly planted flowers…tried different methods..gave up in the end..just couldn’t do it..
July 17th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
“i never kill spiders
…….but stay away from me
…….if you’re a fly”
HA!!!
This is a GREAT poem. So true.
the title is so sharp and strong…
July 17th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Great poem. Yes, we are all inconsistent. Part of being human.
July 17th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I never kill spiders either. I think we all do play God to a certain extent, it comes with the territory of being human and having an ego, I guess. Lovely read Ms M
July 17th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
This was great! It reminded me of the conversation I had with my son this past weekend about bugs. He asked, “If you had a button that would instantly eradicate every one of a type of bug, what would it be?” Now that would be playing God, for sure. At the time, my answer was earwigs because they were crawling all over our tent. But then we wondered what the repercussions would be. Not being God, we couldn’t say. Peace, Linda
July 17th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
we all play god
in our own small way
Yes we do. I was thinking this yesterday as I forced ants to carry their young while I attempted to thwart this drought, watering my plants.
forgiving
forgetting
pretending
I enjoyed this very much!
July 17th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Another great one.
And I never kill spiders either. Flies are another story.
July 17th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
I’m almost too afraid to kill spiders…
But I dont buck up the balls to do every now & then.. great write. really did make me think.
ya never think about how killing a bug is playing God in a way. hmmm…
July 17th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
And it’s how we write, choose our sentences to speak and choose our acquaintances too…. Good write.
July 17th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
next time / you will soar
This is a big theme in my life right now, and a big part of my life in general. I love your approach to the problems of living a life by Karma alone. There has to be some give and take, still.
July 17th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
Mrs. If we didn’t play god, I wonder who we’d choose to be…”forgiving, forgetting, pretending”…it’s la life’s work. Great job.
July 17th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Oh I love this, and you hit the nail on the head, we do all play god in our own small way and yet we are often unsure as to why or even if we have the right. Very astute and nicely done.
July 17th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
We all play God…I displace ants and ….
This is so original and fantastic!
July 17th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
so much about this to like, and I like it all
July 17th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
WOW!!
“hand me downs,
heresy, and hope”
is a true summary of a true poem!!
“we all play god
……in our own small way
bending rules
breaking promises
……forgiving
…………forgetting
……………..pretending”
And in addition to pure truth, this poem offers a vision of what God is like. Kind of gets you thinking about the randomness of human suffering.
July 17th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Wonderful – thoughtful and thought-provoking – I am fine now with spiders – but wasp and ants- yikes!
July 17th, 2012 at 8:24 pm
A really cool poem. It made me think about its message and it truths. A wonderful write.
July 17th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
“we all play God” Isn’t that the truth. Love this, one of my favorites of yours. Very well crafted with incredible depth and honesty.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
So much truth in that. I won’t pretend though, insects in my house are at the mercy of me. Somehow I get the feeling they are already trying their best to avoid me. Mosquitoes and Roaches get absolutely no mercy.
Karma is difficult to understand.
Enjoyed reading this very much and for the thoughts from it. Thank you.
July 18th, 2012 at 12:49 am
It touches and reaches
July 18th, 2012 at 6:49 am
Wonderfully written & thought provoking…it makes me think of how much responsibility we do have towards the creatures (big & small) on this planet…flies have they’re place too, but boy, are they annoying! 🙂
July 18th, 2012 at 7:16 am
I so resonate with this. I ask the flies to leave, don’t make me have to spray you 🙂
July 18th, 2012 at 7:56 am
Wow! Beautifully written. Deep. Contemplative. A poem that speaks truth through example and imagery.
“we all play god
…….in our own small way”
Isn’t that the truth!
July 18th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Amazing!
July 18th, 2012 at 8:39 am
So much to ponder on here. Really makes one wonder what it is we choose to do..and why. Beautiful – as always!
July 18th, 2012 at 9:45 am
the weeds replicate your “stand tall” phrase very nicely. I often feel like a weed. sometimes a rose in bloom. sometimes the fly or spider. this feeling of connection is profound and is clearly sparked in your poem.
July 18th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
We all play god in some way – made me think about how sometimes we hurt people – intentionally or unintentionally….And how others hurt us , intentionally or unintentionally….but that its part of the circle, part of our path….life even….again..love your words…your writing style is so appealing to me.
July 18th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Wow, saying it like it is! I knew a practicing Buddist who would not dream of hurting or killing anything… except the ants that trooped into her kitchen. She washed them away with hot water. Great poem 🙂
July 22nd, 2012 at 1:54 pm
when we bend the rules we hope people can forgiveus, if we are caught, but can we forgive them just as easily?
Lillian Gish