Author Unknown
LIFE MEANS WHATEVER YOU MAKE IT MEAN . . .
I must determine for myself what my life means and must seek to bring it to fruition
-
THE MEANING OF LIFE
The friend I lost today,
the ant I trod on yesterday,
both no longer quick
but now sharing death.
How similar
yet how different.
‘How sad the world without them’
says God
‘How disparate’, say I,
if I care to say anything at all.
God and Nature, merge their significance,
their world view equalising loss,
while I, bereft, forlorn,
am led to grieve for one
but not the other.
Significance holds prominence,
for Nature must consider all loss notable
but necessary,
whereas,
living in different time scales,
our individual lives
serve only our own time frame,
our personal connections
pointing to meaning
and giving resonance
and substance
to each separate life.
As the axe I take to the log,
the knife to my steak,
my boot to the beetle’s innocence,
and as I pluck yet another rose,
so ends my hold on life,
for ever compromised.
So I am left with
how, in nature’s sight,
meaning lies only with
the recurring cycle,
but in my heart
my hurt is not diminished,
my mourning
is just mine to feel.
Roland's Ragbag 
So much food for thought here. I found myself thinking micro/macro perceptions. It is the kind of poem that spurs the mind to justify the soul, so to speak.
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I thank you for your perceptive comment, Phyllis.
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Beautifully written Roland and the comparing of the loos of your friend and the ant is brilliant as it starkly shows our attachments. you talk about how our connections give meaning and substance to each life. So much food for thought….and yet it is the heart that speaks as in your last stanza ” but in my heart
my hurt is not diminished,
my mourning
is just mine to feel. ”
How true that is.
Miriam
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I am grateful, Miriam, for your considered response.
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I am sorry….’loos’ should of course be loss.
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🙄
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This makes me ponder on the fact that at our respective ages we are losing friends who stay within our hearts – perhaps that is as good a meaning as any
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Yes, indeed, Derrick. You speak wisely.
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This is a thought provoking poem that has me already popping back to explore its nuances.
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Thanks for your appreciative comment, Nigel.
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Much food for thought, Roland, and makes one believe the reality of life isn’t always to our liking.
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… That certainly is true. Thank you for responding, Eugenia.
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I agree with the above comments here Roland. This is poem which needs many readings to contemplate its depth and meaning. The last line leads back into the first line and the cycle begins again. Brilliant poetry.
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Thanks, Davy.
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Pingback: THE MEANING OF LIFE– by Roland Keld – VOICES OF A HIDDEN SELF
So good of you to take the time and trouble, Nigel. Thank you.
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Beautiful and thought provoking, worthy of many reads.
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I am grateful for your warm response, Colleen.
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I hope you don’t mind Roland but I have taken the liberty of linking to this poem for my Thursday Thoughts piece tomorrow.
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That’s fine by me. Thanks, Davy.
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Pingback: How Do You Read A Poem? | Inside the Mind of Davy D
A beautiful, poignant poem, Roland.
I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. Your words have touched my heart.
Thank you!
I came here to your blog by way of Davy D.
HUGS,
Carolyn 🙂
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Thank you, Carolyn. I am very grateful for your warm response. My poems are not always tear-making, I trust.
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