Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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THE COLD WITHIN......
Six humans trapped by happenstance
In black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
The first woman held hers back
For on the faces around the fire,
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking cross the way
Saw one not of his church,
And couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third man sat in tattered clothes;
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store.
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.
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Comments (22)
How sad a cold heart is.
mmm that's interesting... written well how selfish people can be.. cool
The Signature Of A True Human Is The Smile He/She Brings On The Face Of Others.
LonelyPoet
This poem will not go down as politically correct in South Africa. The reference to the black man will be seen as racism.
@Zeal4living - Oh! I am sorry....I just wanted to emphasize on the cold that we are carrying within. I didn't think on this. m sorry!
I remember the movie Burning Mississippi.
Hope you are doing great.
Wow..........
Really cool writing thanks for coming by. Judi
@ReachOutToHeaven - My comment was not meant as critisicm. Racism is just so extremly present in our culture that I am supra conscious about it. I just wanted to comment on it because it stood out for me. I do not think you meant any harm to it and yet it depends on how others see something. We live in a strange and complicated world. So please do not see my comment as a negative reflection but rather as a point of interest.
@Zeal4living - Yes sure Jurgens! I understand this and I am not seeing it as a sort of critisicm. I acknowledge your comment and will take care in future!
Thank you very much for the comment. I love the way you explained your understanding of the poem.If it may interest you, it is the girl I talked about in the poem who commented before you in my site....she made a post and when i read about the post I just wanted to tell her to talk to her mother and look at the life of her mother to find a fix for her issues. Well, when an older person is saying, it may not be easy for a teenager to easily understand I think it worked when I saw the way she reacted. You know, poets finds interesting ways to communicate., hehehehe and especially when it comes to dealing with kids.
The Signature Of A True Human Is The Smile He/She Brings On The Face Of Others.
LonelyPoet
I have thrown my stick into the fire!
You are most welcome and Thank you....
Nanni Nidhi
The Signature Of A True Human Is The Smile He/She Brings On The Face Of Others.
LonelyPoet
Do you practice yoga? I am an instructor here in the Minneapolis area...just interested in learning more about you...I LOVE your blog!! It is very insightful...have a great one!! Charlotte
@portiajules - Hey Thanks that you liked my Xanga! I do practice yoga but not that often...whenever I feels then only! Glab that you like yoga and you are also instructor. Bless you! ~Namaste~ Nidhi
@poetrybox - Opps! Sorry...Sorry! I will remember now this nanni word.......... :)
Glad you thought it was great......I am self conscious...
Very though provoking.... by the way, I would share my stick!
The story of the widow's mite might be a story to push contributions but your story seems to be purely for the motive of preservation. In our fight to keep the environment in a healthy state your tale seems to apply. Will the rich man not spend to keep the world healthy? Will the poor man lend his voice to protest the wrongs being done to the earth? Will all groups drop their income in order for the common good?
Are the poor lazy? My brother seems to think so. But I see those who are poor are often full of spirit and they may spend too quickly. Some poor are not wise in their needs and some put as much effort into work as they are paid (which is often not much) Gas prices hurt the poor more than the rich. Inflation of food prices hurt the poor more than the rich. Rising rents will force a poor person to move, or to committ a crime. No the poor are not lazy, just the system encourages them to do less when they are being oppressed.
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Blessings~