“Working Still” by Borg de Nobel: http://borgeous.wordpress.com/
incendiary, pervasive
black coal
smears and coats
all within its cloud
of far-reaching
immorality
led to believe
in its life-
giving properties,
we decline
through our blindness
a deceit
we choose
willingly
as we plunge
recklessly
into deterioration
we’ve been fed
untruths,
ladled down
our throats,
masquerading
as gracious
entreats
spoon-feeding
us to join a
parade,
marching
to our own demise
Claudia Schoenfeld invites us to use paintings by Borg de Nobel as inspiration at dVerse Poets: http://dversepoets.com/2012/08/25/poetics-borg-de-nobel/
Thank you to Borg de Nobel.
Bodhirose's Blog 
pandamoniumcat
/ August 25, 2012great take on this painting… I think this was a difficult one I kept thinking of coal, mines etc when I looked at this one I don’t know why…but I certainly love where you went with this.
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012Well that’s exactly what I saw too and wrote about…our dependence on the use of coal for energy.
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Heaven (@asweetlust)
/ August 25, 2012Like your share…specially these lines:
we’ve been fed
untruths,
ladled down
our throats,
masquerading
as gracious
entreats
Well done Gayle ~ Happy weekend to you ~
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012Well, there was that ladle hanging there in the painting… Many thanks, Grace…my best to you…
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brian miller
/ August 25, 2012dang this feels prophetic….i only hope it is not…but it rings so true….we have been spoon fed what we want to hear…and march on to our demise…shivers…..
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012I hope it’s not either, Brian…but you know…for a write…I go for the dramatic!
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hiroshimem
/ August 25, 2012I like your play on words (“far-reaching immorality”) and your surprising use of opposites (“we’ve been fed untruths”). Beautiful piece, well written!
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012Why thank you…I appreciate that great comment.
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Mama Zen
/ August 25, 2012Really powerful voice in this! I love where you went with it.
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012I can get very riled up when politics enter into the picture…and apparently, it did! Thanks, MZ.
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Susan
/ August 25, 2012“a deceit
we choose
willingly
as we plunge
recklessly
into deterioration”
The emperor’s new old clothes; gosh, I hope we grow up before the parade ends. The truth in this poem is powerful. It feels more like a warning than a prophesy.
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012Well, we sure can be a bunch of dumb bunnies…to put it mildly…so many gulp down what’s fed to them with little or no thought. Yes, a warning…wake up people! These things can make me..seethe…
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kaykuala
/ August 25, 2012Clever interpretation, Bodhirose! I thought I saw similar images too. Not easy with this but you breezed through easy! Nicely written1
Hank
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012Thanks, Hank… As soon as I saw the painting, I saw ‘soot’…and that ladle of course.
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Bodhirose
/ August 25, 2012(I didn’t mean to ‘like’ my own poem!) 🙂
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Mohana
/ August 26, 2012well written…the last stanza i liked a lot.
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Thanks, so much, Mohana.
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henryclemmons
/ August 26, 2012The last stanza is classic. What a superb interpretation of the painting. I so prefer yours over mine. Excellente. My fav so far.
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Such high praise…thank you very much.
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clawfish
/ August 26, 2012powerful and deeply rooting in its’s emotion wow
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Politics do that to me… Thank you…I appreciate that.
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Claudia
/ August 26, 2012spoon-feeding
us to join a
parade,
marching
to our own demise…oh dang..strong closure…gave me shivers..
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Gives me shivers to think about it too…thank you, Claudia. A most interesting prompt from you today…
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Irene
/ August 26, 2012Great sounds in that opening:
black coal
smears and coats
I like the idea you took – of being spoonfed.
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Thank you, Irene…I appreciate that.
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zongrik
/ August 26, 2012lots of harsh stuff here, like laded down our throats
but in the beginning, it made me think of coal on white lab-coats…now that’s an image!!
slowly it had to last
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Bodhirose
/ August 26, 2012Yes, that’s an image! Well, it’s a pretty heavy looking painting don’t you think…
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dragonkatet
/ August 26, 2012Both the painting and your words made me think. It will sound strange, but I got a completely different interpretation from your words. I thought it was aimed at the Pharmaceutical Industry and read it as a warning about the poisons they peddle as “cures”:
“led to believe
in its life-
giving properties,” and
“we’ve been fed
untruths,
ladled down
our throats,
masquerading
as gracious
entreats” – well, ALL of the poem, really, but especially those parts.
The painting is disturbing. I don’t know why, but I kept thinking of movies like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or maybe “House of 1000 Corpses”. Disturbing.
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Bodhirose
/ August 27, 2012You know what…that works too…I like your interpretation, Corina. I agree with you about the painting, dark and disturbing…there was a choice of paintings to write on by Borg de Nobel as our prompt at dVerse. I would love to know what the artist had in mind…
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Sue Dreamwalker
/ August 27, 2012Gayle what a great interpretation of that painting loved it. Spoon Fed Yes haven’t we just!!
Let’s hope that True prevails and Justice follows.
Love and hugs Sue xxx
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Sue Dreamwalker
/ August 27, 2012That should have read truth sorry I’m using my phone and writing so small LOL. Enjoy your week Sue
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Bodhirose
/ August 27, 2012So glad you liked this, Sue. Yes, we have…enough already! Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your thoughts with me.
Love,
Gayle xoxo
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Lorna's Voice
/ August 28, 2012How very true.
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Bodhirose
/ August 28, 2012Sadly.. 😦
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bardessdmdenton
/ September 4, 2012I was just watching a drama involving coal miners from northern England–it was during the General Strike in the UK of the mid 1920’s. The one miner said that at least five children died every day in the mines, and that they often found the skeletons of children who had perished down there. But where’s there money to be made …
Mining is still one of the most dangerous jobs in any part of the world. And how unclean coal is for the consumer and environment. Why does anyone fight developing new means of energy and heat, etc. Well, for the powers that be: $$$$$
I know it is a way of life for many, but does it have to be a way of death too? A powerful piece, Gayle, and the last paragraph is so chillingly true.
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Bodhirose
/ September 9, 2012Bottom line…it’s all about money. We seem to be losing our common sense and compassion. I’m glad this spoke to you, Diane…thank you for sharing your thoughts with me…I couldn’t agree more.
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