“No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main; if a clod be washed
away by the sea…”
The theologian John Donne
long ago spoke
of man, isolation from others
words
taken to heart
by many
for better or worse
There is much theology in
being alone
being together
being
Doctrine prevailing
here I am
where are you
no one to
play peek-a-boo
‘No man is an island’
in-and-of-itself is
sound dogma
though
somewhat lacking
punch
a not-captivating
catechism
liturgical cliché
For as I do like my
rare moments of
true solitude
age, time seems to
have rendered me more
isthmus than island
less Gilligan
more Robinson Crusoe
(with better wardrobe,
no Friday)
Noting as I sit here
contemplative
that there
is great
difference in
exile versus expat
I am fine where I am at
so long as I can
ever see
the shore
– Mark L. Lucker
© 2021
http://lrd.to/sxh9jntSbd
I love the way you infuse humor — “less Gilligan
more Robinson Crusoe/(with better wardrobe, and
no Friday)” — into a contemplative moment.
“There is much theology in/broad concepts of/
being alone/being together/being” — Truth!
You picked one of my fav poets/theologians and quotations. However, because the quotations is rather deep and long…I wish your first stanzas would be as last as your last. Your ideas in the beginning stanzas are good but the wording could be snappier and lyrical…it read more like prose instead of poetry but saying that, I loved your last stanza and if the whole could be a bit lighter, I think you have a winner.
I see what you are saying, and have reworked it a bit:
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea…” – John Donne
The theologian Donne
long ago spoke
of man, his isolation
from others
from self
words
taken to heart
by many for
better or worse
There is
solid theology in
being alone
being together
being
Doctrine
here I am
where are you
no one to
play peek-a-boo
‘No man is an island’
in and of itself
is sound dogma
though
somewhat lacking
punch
not-captivating
catechism
liturgical cliché
For as I do like
my rare moments of
solitude
age, time seems to
have rendered me
more
isthmus than island
less Gilligan
more
Robinson Crusoe
(with better wardrobe,
no Friday)
Noting as I
sit contemplative
that there
is great
difference in
exile versus expat
I am fine
wherever I am at
so long as I
can ever see
the shore
I loved the ending
“I am fine where I am at
as long as I can
ever see the shore”
Thank you, Susan.
my favorite stanza is:
“Doctrine
here I am
where are you?
no one to play peek-a-boo”
and the last line of fine as long as I can see the shore” really sums it up. You are great at infusing subtle humor into serious topics.
Thank you Carol.