did Atlantis dissolve
in an ocean of shame
salty crystals corroding
her decadent footings
of empire placidly
mindless of once sturdy
virtue now quaking with
woken-mind grasp of
its negligent stewardship
bringing down stout
high towering ramparts
in one fateful night
cataclysmic dark hours
of torment and terror
sun worshipping stones
pulled by punishing gravity
into a mean steaming hiss
under waters unmarked
and unnamed lost forever
her grandeur and conquest
her burnished ennobled
confederacy of wise
law-giver kings so keenly
impressive to Plato
then all but forgotten
to maritime mists from
which shadowy legend
is all to be drawn of
brave people who once
lit the pillars of Hercules
white with benevolent
beacons of world saving
hegemon shining exemplar
of once sacred liberty
(original posted January 2014)
Very cool idea. Americantis. 🙂
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and thanks for the very cool comment
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I owe you, Americanstis. 😀 🙂
Please do go through the given link and let me know your sincere feedback about my first short movie project! 🙂
http://myindividualinsights.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/official-release-of-obtrusive-hopes/
– Rahul
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Seeing as how I am advancing a thesis that we (English speaking world) are in the midst of a similar decline and fall as befell the Roman Empire, your allegorical poem speaks rather poignantly to me.
Very nice, Paul. This was indeed poesy plus polemics.
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I’m inclined to your thesis. You might want to read 3 more of my poems: Decency – Caesar’s Month – Romulus and Remus
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I’ll look for them later today – thanks, Paul.
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Interesting concept, well put.
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glad that you thought so
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You write with such pretty language–even, or maybe especially about catastrophe. By the by, in case you hadn’t picked up on it yet, I have a new “CIA handle”–so will be commenting/liking alternately from 2 blogs. You’re not obligated to attend both–if I have something I think you’d like, shall I give you the post links?
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but of course – shall we call you Mata Hari?
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I don’t know–was she irresistibly beautiful? The fact she was executed kinda puts me off the comparison…anyway, I’m also Leyda Hope now–and I suspect you’d smile at my “About” intro: watchingforfireflies.wordpress.com (Everything you need to know…)
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Thanks – I found your new “Idiosyncratic Identity”
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You use your words wisely
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I try, Barb
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My favorite: “punishing gravity.” Brilliant! (:
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much appreciated, casey
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This made me think of the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Shelley’s Ozymandias. “Confederacy”, by word association, suggested “A Confederacy of Dunces”. Don’t know if this was intentional or not, but it’s great when a poem draws on or leads to other literary allusions.
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your allusions flatter me – but I’m afraid I didn’t have Shelley or Toole in mind
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Reblogged this on Poesy plus Polemics.
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Awesome! I think whether true or false, we could learn a lot from the world of Atlantis. A kind of counter example! Thought provoking piece!
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every myth has a teaching purpose
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good question . . .
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Reblogged this on OUR POETRY CORNER.
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thank you for sharing my poem with your readers
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always most welcome!
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This is once again one of your ‘at least two reads’ poems for the sublime words need to be savoured before the poem can be read as what it is. Brilliant stuff.
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some myths ring truer than others
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Reading this again, I marvel at how your mind just seems to roll the lines out so effortlessly every day. I’m bowled over, impressed. Wow.
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my mind’s about all there is that works anymore
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Which trips a ponder: given the choice, would we choose to lose our physical, or mental faculties?
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I’d rather avoid the choice and let come what comes
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Good plan, since we don’t really have a choice.
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