for the Gergia mythos
Sometimes the truth resides between three liars;
that stout, resistant core that never breaks.
The light of Ashen’s hidden in a fire.
One speaks of mountain dew in his desire
while two divert — “The river Ashen makes.”
Sometimes the truth resides between three liars.
They’ll take you on a course through muck and mire,
to orbit center by the center’s wake,
but inward turn to find the secret fire.
Don’t go the way prepared by vain desire
of other men who know not what’s at stake.
They cannot see the truth between, these liars.
It’s deep and locked and hidden in a pyre,
below the wood and under the ashen flakes,
so dig, unlock, and seek the secret fire.
You cannot find it safe in fort or shire—
those shelters weren’t around when this was made.
The light of Ashen’s hidden in a fire,
to find it, seek the truth between three liars.
_________
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For newcomers — a note on 50 @ 25:
Once upon a time, I read that the perfect age for writing quality poetry is twenty-three. Apparently most of T.S. Elliot’s stuff came out then, the rest of his work being supposedly non-poetic. This resulted in 46 poems written at 23.
These poems came out exponentially faster and faster before my 24th birthday on April 30th – and I had to write in genres spanning from epic ballads to limericks to get 46 in on time. I guess that means, for better or worse, that’s the best poetry I’ll ever write. Sad day.
Who was I kidding?
Milton was blind and old—oooooold—when he publishedParadise Regained. Emily Dickenson was dead when her stuff came out. My favorite stuff from T.S. Elliot came out after his conversion. So yeah, old age is good for poetry too. Look at Burns and Berry.
(Side note: the name “Berry Burns” sounds like a shady car salesman).
Will I keep up this twice-my-age regimen every few years? Who knows, but this year, here’s to 50 poems at 25 to be written exponentially faster until I turn 26 on April Thirtyish. I do it this the second time around as a way to say: “Here’s to living life well before it’s too late.”
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