Whose Ark? (23rd February, 2009, 8.15pm)
Biblical, isn’t it? The pairing up,
the cutting off of humans into
twos. Whose whole am I meant
for, whose soul am I half of, and
what if nobody is looking for me?
Roll up, roll up to see the failure
at the zoo, as the animals go two
by two, and multiply, and live side
by side, die in each other’s shadow;
who am I supposed to hide behind?
Ridiculous, the pigeon holes in which
we’re supposed to fit? What if I want
to be part of another number, or
worse, singular? Who will chastise?
Whose Ark am I subscribed to join?
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, off to work I go;
I spend my life on building a career,
and who will love me if the price of
time turns out too dear? A quandary;
what if ‘it’ was never meant to be?
Extraneous, the white, mounted knight
to sweep me off my feet; I am the rider,
and I will not get carried away with this;
I live alone and claim that sanctuary;
whose box am I too large to fit inside?
Take two, take two. What if one plus one
equals no fun and turns out not enough?
My will be done, the iron hand of fate tight
inside my velvet glove, what is it to love?
Is there anyone left to be questioned?
Jennifer Pickup
Comments
john_silver | January 23, 2009 - 21:11
This is very impressive. It's an original thematic twist and wonderfully executed from a formal point of view. It also benefits from a clear and very lucid sense of phrase. I'm tired now and can't really look at it in depth, but I think this is the best thing I've read of yours so far. Thumbs up.
Ewan | January 24, 2009 - 09:08
Postsecret is a very interesting site. You have created a very interesting poem here. Great rhetorical (and profound) questions form a kind of refrain. Loved the internal rhymes.
Great stuff.
Ewan
PS check your date out :-)
tamara (not verified) | January 24, 2009 - 11:47
It is superb as with all your work.
Lynne.x
MistakenMagic | January 25, 2009 - 11:33
'Ridiculous, the pigeon holes in which
we’re supposed to fit? What if I want
to be part of another number, or
worse, singular? Who will chastise?
Whose Ark am I subscribed to join?'
Loved this stanza Jen and the use of the word 'singular' in reference to your other poem :)
Magic xxx
jennifer | January 25, 2009 - 16:17
Haha Ewan, you can see how tired I was when I wrote this, February indeed! I actually wrote 'November' on the board the other day too!!
Thank you to everyone for their cheering comments!
J x
luigi_pagano | January 27, 2009 - 11:49
Excellent work, Jennifer. I loved the poem in its entirety but the last stanza most of all.
Luigi x
Nathan Bednarek | January 28, 2009 - 15:08
'Roll up, roll up to see the failure
at the zoo, as the animals go two
by two, and multiply, and live side
by side, die in each other’s shadow;
who am I supposed to hide behind?'
What a stanza! This is truly wonderful and the poem is very thought-provoking. I like the way you used Noah's story as a metaphor here. This poem plays its own music. Well done.
Nathan.
jennifer | January 29, 2009 - 11:54
Thank you, Luigi and Nathan, for your appreciative comments! I am glad it struck a chord!
J x