Babylon, she beckons
broadcasting her glitters of ephemeral joy and
generously hiding from view the hook, the gambit;
offering addiction packaged in satisfaction
glamorous destruction
"That which is collective is desirable"-
an underlying rationale,
the consequences of which one must bear alone;
victim to one's own excesses
imprisoned among glittering shards
of one's own folly.
Wisdom, she cries out to the wise, Truth
values reality precisely:
glamor ≠ advantage
Two paths; one wide and shiny,
one True.
The iniquities of the wicked
ensnare him and he is held fast
in the cords of his sin, he dies.
Jesus, you draw me close, so
that I behold your preciousness, safe
eternal, glorious life far beyond
the passing pleasures of
a fading day
Feb 16th, 2008
3 comments:
imprisoned among glittering shards
of one's own folly
this line highlights perfectly the truth of James 1: 12ff --all temptation, by nature, feeds on deception. Folly bites on the lie. Teach me truth in my innermost being. I also pray that the Lord would draw us close to the "reality" so that the "shards" will be avoided for what they really are: It is written, "Every genrous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). Let the light of the Father consume the glitter of the world ...
...because His light is far brighter than the superficial shine of what the world offers - Thanks Greg.
Hey, Stephen, do you often write poems? I like a lot of what you're doing in this one--I find I "hear" it better near the end if I imagine it being sung, with guitar; at the beginning, it has the stating, asserting, polysyllabic habits of the poetry slam. I especially like the opening "Babylon, she beckons" and the "generously hiding" antithesis, and I think "values reality precisely" bears some meditating on. One could almost read that stanza as setting up a polarity (Wisdom:cries:glamor :: Truth:values:advantage), but of course you give us "Truth" and "True" to decode it, and being fellow readers of Proverbs we'll be reluctant to dissassociate Wisdom and Truth.
Anyway, I like it, and I'd be interested to know more about your versifying habits. I'm afraid your more comic performances are the ones which stuck in my head from the old days.
Would be happy to know what's up near you anytime you feel like jotting an email (see facebook for info), and will share any prayer requests with my church folks, of course.
Peace,
PGE
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