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The Parable of Sight
Josef K. raises his eyes
To the heighth of a silver dome
Flames bemuse his senses
Figures bemuse his mind
The nameless angel
Patron of the city of his birth
Guardian of the temple of Wisdom
A threshold which has not been breached
For nearly two thousand years
A filigree etched into the stone
Beneath his feet
An elegy K. has known since infancy
“Bombs congeal into bullets
Bullets to mere words
Words to thought
And thought to man”
In another country these tenets
Are reversed
Man without knowledge is a shadow
A stumbling drunk
Spiralling among the natives
Of the country of the blind
In the kingdom of sight
The temple is not barred
But her citizens do not yearn
To trespass
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Comments
Candlewitch
Thu, 2023-02-23 08:19
hello, my friend,
is the Joseph, a Kennedy ? I really like this.
*hugs, Cat
*
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Dalton
Thu, 2023-02-23 13:51
Dear Cat
Josef K. was the protagonist of Franz Kafka’s masterpiece The Trial about a man who was arrested for a crime which was never clarified. If only Kafka had written poetry :)
author commentCandlewitch
Thu, 2023-02-23 13:55
dearest John,
thank you for clarifying that for me!
*many hugs, Cat
*
When someone reads your work
And responds, please be courteous
And reply in kind, thanks.
Dalton
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:03
Dear Cat
The Trial is so worth your research xxx
author commentCandlewitch
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:07
what is....
the title and can I order it on line?
*
When someone reads your work
And responds, please be courteous
And reply in kind, thanks.
Dalton
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:16
Dear Cat
Yes “The Trial” by Franz Kafka is easily available online Amazon or such or surely any good book shop xxx
author commentSeren
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:12
Dearest John
Poor ol' Josef he really got done over didn't he? I think his words "Like a dog" sum it up don't you? I think you've depicted the scene at the cathedral in a wonder-filled way but my reading of the parable is actually what gets him killed in the end imo. But I read that a long long time ago in another life. I may have remembered wrongly please correct me if I have.
Knowledge is power
Power is knowledge
Love and hugs Jayne xoxb
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats
Dalton
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:20
Dearest Jayne
Of course you’re right “like a dog” I’ve written a companion piece I’ll post in the future “The Dream life of Josefine K.” Same cosmological laws apply from the woman’s perspective love John x
author commentSeren
Thu, 2023-02-23 14:24
Dearest John
Phew, I was stretching my memory then lol thank God I got his last words right.
Love and hugs Jayne x
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats
Emerald1
Fri, 2023-02-24 02:24
Dearest John
Dearest John
Your piece shows so much understanding of Kafkas writing Im in awe ,you set the scene perfectly , the absurdity of the world as depicted in The Trial where he is accused of a crime and no body ever tells him what the crime is , kafkas dystopian views on the real world questions ,should make us question the theories of moral and personal freedoms .You say life is a search for wisdom and knowledge and failure to gain access to these leaves us as stumbling drunks , while the kingdom of sight where all knowledge would be available to us has not been entered , we seek enlightenment but dont avail of it .
A fascinating read , until recently I had no knowledge of dystopian writing or Kafka , thanks to you my precious friend my universe is expanding and while I may not and never will have have your understanding I can now hopefully follow the thought process behind this type of thought
As ever dear poet extraordinaire if I have missed some things here please say and I will be so grateful for gaining further understanding .
Thanks for another outstanding piece of art and the chance to read it
Thanks my precious friend
Love M x xx
Dalton
Fri, 2023-02-24 16:43
Habibti
For me there must be a reason to write I don’t want to be thought of as one just writing for myself. I also have to infuse with at least one strong image. That’s advice I’d offer any fellow poet. For me the important part is the tenet in the stone:
Bombs congeal into bullets
Bullets to mere words
Words to thought
And thought to man
In another country these tenets
Are reversed
That was the reason for writing xxx
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