Category: Spiritual Alienation

(About a 3 minute read)

“I can’t run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
A thundercloud
And they’re going to hear from me”

— Leonard Cohen, Anthem

∞

The dawn came today, came cold, came beautiful.

And why do all the pretty girls
Tell me stories of their cages?

And why do all the pretty girls
Tell me stories of their cages?

The snow fell today, fell cold, fell beautiful.

(Last night the clouds froze
And fell from the sky,
And I sang in the darkness before dawn,
Sang songs of aloneness,

Sang songs of things passing,
Sang songs of aloneness and things passing,

And I put on heavy skins.
I girded up my loins
And I put on heavy skins.)

Inside you this moment is an Australopithecus
Standing in the yellow grasses of Africa
Beneath the savanna’s copper sun,
Watching the thornbush for lions
And thinking to possess a mate.
And thinking to own someone.

Put on your white tie and your black dress
And convince yourself that is not you.
Your job is to convince yourself
That is not you.

You’re good at your job.
(But I am good at mine.)

She said, “I was worth a million dollars
But I let you pay a nickel for me
You wrote your name in my skin”.

Your name, now, is not you.
You must find a new name
And a better one, Ash.

The dawn came today, came cold, came beautiful.

I was thinking of you,  thinking of you.
You, who I heard singing today like a lonely crystal bird
In the coldest hour before the warming light.
You, who were singing in the hour before the warming light.

You,
Who must be freed now
To sing the songs
The world must hear.

The world must hear your songs.
It is the world’s duty to hear your songs.

(The world is going to hear from you, Ash.
I am good at my job.)

The snow fell today, fell cold, fell beautiful.

Why can we not treat each other
Like we treat the dawn?

Why can we not see the beauty of each other
Like we see the beauty of the dawn?

Why can we not take inspiration from each other
Like we take inspiration from the dawn?

Why is it thinkable to possess one another
When it is not thinkable to possess the dawn?

Why is it thinkable to harm one another
When it is not thinkable to harm the dawn?

Why are there cages anyway?
Why are there cages anyway?

Why are there cages anyway?

Why do all the pretty girls
Tell me stories of their cages?

I have no more tears, Ash,
There are no tears left for you,
You, who must be freed,
You, who for the sake of the world,
Must with your sister be freed.
You two have come late

You have come late
And I have come to the end of my tears.
I have seen too much
And I have come to the end of my tears.

Here is my blood.

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The verses quoted in this poem are from My Worth, by the gifted poet, AwkwardBear, who is referred to in the poem as “Ash”.

This poem was in part inspired by Carol A. Hand’s post that can be found here.