Poetry

Slave
by Earl Bergland, December 18th, 1992

“Wait descending Sinai, rest, sleep, Moses.
Commandment eleven goads kings to moan.
Whose wicked hand a tablet change while you doze?
What scraping sanding sound of stone on stone?

Erase future mark of history’s arrow?
Let sleep well, those guilty of mortal sin?
A slave freedom speech not heard tomorrow!
The theft puts on history a curse, a din.

Awake, Sir, see the harm, eleven gone.
It was not a dream! It was there, a fact.
Recall the words. Try to engrave their song.
Do not forsake me; Moses wait, come back!

Whose evil claw God’s wise commandment waived.
Thou shalt not tolerate one child enslaved.”

notes:
The poem states that there were originally Eleven Commandments. The eleventh one is the last line of the poem. Moses is bringing Eleven Commandments down mountain and goes to sleep. Of the Ten Commandments only three are a felony (kill, steal and false witness). The Commandments protect religion and the rich. Slaves have nothing.
Line 2: Kings/rich would moan if they had to give up slaves = no commandment.
Line 5: If the commandment had not been erased, then history would have changed for the better (treatment of children, women, workers, rights and wages).
Line 6: Such a commandment would make the rich guilty of mortal sin (own slaves).
Line 8: The erasure creates thousands of years of great suffering and cheap labor.
Line 12: Who is “me”?

Homework: Be a Goddess and create your list of commandments.

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Writing Poetry

Why Poetry? Poems are written by people who are too lazy to write a book. Most people who write poetry would do more good for the world by growing flowers or painting old barns. But we need to have patience because many young poets just need a few years of practicing as do musicians.
What are the three basic requirements for a quality poem?
A. The topic must be very important.
B. The poet must express thoughts with clarity.
C. The poem must create a dramatic impact (create an emotional feeling) in reader.
Is poetry a waste of time? That is a tough question. We can wonder the same thing about fishing or watching a football game. A poem provides the poet with a means of expressing ideas and feelings by a very personal means. Playing basket ball or cooking is also a means of personal expression.
What kind of an attitude should we have about reading poetry? Imagine sitting in a park on a spring day listening to your friend discuss ideas with you. Poets love waterfalls and country fried chicken.