Heroes of the Quill
with wisdom buried in scrolls
Of times that once were, or moments unsavory
That come and go, beguiling desires summoned
For holding on, else to let go in unswerving bravery
Tales spun on spirits of magical worlds from beyond
Vast wisdom buried in scrolls epic
Much indebted I am to see thy pic
Spelled out in libretto verbose splendid
gratifying all naivete duly apprehended
Alas, beloved Carbon-based Bipeds¹ of the dot pale blue²
You’re not there, nowhere near, mankind so unkind
The battle’s not in the bullets triggered vengefully strong
But in lasting peace ‘n energy for dear life to prolong
That’s Sir Clarke¹ nodding in sheer disapproval
With Sagan² coming closely behind remorseful
But it’s all in the name, Lahiri³ would claim
And you’d have to agree, if only for the blame
Ondaatje⁴ charms me bringing me to my knees
Whilst Crichton⁵ wracks my brain in a spree
But there’s always Coelho⁶ to calm me down
When thoughts of mine run amok with Roy⁷
Holding fast unto quotes from Kareauc⁸, Gibran⁹ and Merton¹⁰
Hoping they’d keep me company alongside the raven
It’s the words of Poe¹¹, Blake¹² and Frost¹³ in times despair
That revealed all the miles to go far and elsewhere
I cling onto me dear life, gasping for that
very air breathed out by them sages highbrow
Tethered onto the lifeline of tunnel’s light
With promise of better day in that know-how
Now I’m running out of space for the Bard¹⁴
And all the others that molded me life hard
But there’s room for one more hero
With words so stark and thoughts abstract
The verse I devour my tea with every morning
What would JD do, when words die with no warning
Rock on, write on, dear friends,
he’d for sure ascertain, I’d bet!
- In response to the Saturday Poetry Prompt: What would your (literary)hero do? by J.D. Harms.
- I know I’m a little late to the party, but I was held back by them the heroes for dabbling dime a dozen! …you see, I feel inadequate, belittled and even humiliated by the might of their swords…
- And yet, it’s those very words that lift me up, raise me high and snap me back to reality taking me through times of joy, sorrow, ecstasy or grief. There is always a word for every moment. Written already. By someone who’s been there and done that. In beautiful imprints painting strokes of life, like breadcrumbs left behind for us to follow.
- This is dedicated to all my heroes with quills, dead and alive, for the silent inspiration they bring me day in and out. I watch you in awe with much gratitude for presenting me the world through your words.
- A few of them mentioned here are: Sir Arthur C. Clarke¹, Carl Sagan², Jhumpa Lahiri³, Michael Ondaatje⁴, Michael Crichton⁵, Paulo Coelho⁶, Arundhati Roy⁷, Jack Kerouac⁸, Kahlil Gibran⁹, Thomas Merton¹⁰, Edgar Allan Poe¹¹, William Blake¹², Robert Frost¹³, William Shakespeare¹⁴ and our very own J.D. Harms! :)
