building – dverse
Picture courtesy of wikipedia – Rodin, The Thinker
Sometimes I sits and thinks, sometimes I just sits – Satchel Paige
We build temples
Stone by stone
Each pebble tossed
Every boulder wrestled
Precisely into place
Melded forever.
Our plans
never grand enough
to capture the infinite
of what we must encounter.
We are shaped by those we touch
always as the light begins to fail
we rue most
the stones we failed to move
or feared to grasp.
bwfiction 
Bill, an excellent take on your prompt. So many profound lines. Especially those last two stanzas, stellar writing! That first quote is originally from A.A. Milne the author of “Winnie the Pooh” before Pooh became Disney-fied…
And thank you very much for the expansion of my view, I’m embarrassed to admit that I was not that familiar with Rilke. Love his poems 🙂
This reminds me of watching JCBs in Spain wrestle enormous stone boulders into place to form a protecting wall for the tourists…great!
Thanks!
We rarely regret the tasks that we’ve accomplished….just the ones we’ve neglected. This is one of your best!!
thanks!
Hiya Bill, I’m sure I’m not the first to say how sure-footedly well fashioned towards a marvellous closing stanza – my favourite of the night so far on Rodin… With Best Wishes Scott http://www.scotthastie.com
thanks Scott
“We rue the most
the stones we failed to move
or feared to grasp”
Those lines are very eloquent and provides a good counterpoint to the previous lines about man’s achievements. Perhaps, failures are there to balance out man’s tendency to pride.
yes, some pride is necessary, and too much can hurt us.
our plan never grand enough to capture the infinite..so true..loved the poem a lot..thank you for this wonderful prompt..
Bill – thank you for the idea tonight of course. It was very inspiring.
We are shaped by those we touch
always as the light begins to fail
Loved this – goes beyond words.
Subtle poem that echoes the modernity of Rodin. It sculpts words with sounds, assonance, homonyms, and alliteration as well as meaning. The ambiguities and implications are deep as well. The outer shell becomes a symbol for all the instances to which it can be applied. Very fine work indeed.
thank you very much for your kind words.
I touched on a few of these same themes in my own poem – the last line is quite profound. Yes, Rilke is very soothing, I consider many of his poems to be prayers.
yes – I think so too
… i like that, we are shaped by those we touch… use of that sense so appropriate for the picture
thanks, I tried to use a different angle than the most popular one. Rodin’ work is so alive – I am reminded of seeing Michaelangelo’s the “Prisoners” in Florence – they were vibrant too.
Very nice comparison.
Thanks Hamish
My mother used to say that statement to me, the one at the beginning of your poem. It has a lot of meaning I think. I enjoyed this poem a lot Bill, well done.
Reminded me of Brian’s poem and that tough kid…did Brian touch him I wonder?
i love to think love is written in the stone..
And i think it is when one becomes willing…
to move the stone..:)
yes, good analogy!
I agree, Bill, as human beings we are social animals and need interactions with others. They are momentous in shaping us and making us who we are, stone by stone.
And how we act, is really the tale of our lives.
Oh yes, I agree…we are shaped by those we touch (and by those who reach out and touch us). Despite the stones that we could not move, we learn and grow and love! Thanks for tending bar today, Bill.
thank you, I am glad to be able to give a little back to the group.
You sir, speak the truth and spark the stars of the universe.
I love this poem. 🙂
Thank you – sometimes we must grab things and even fail if it is true to our heart.
Nice…say, you should read my poem. It best describe the theme prompt from dverse. I hope you like.
I just read it, and I felt it as I read – that’s when you know poetry is really working.
So much truth in this write . . . .
thanks – why does it take so long to start to see life better ? 🙂
I admire that piece of wisdom at the end ~ Good one Bill ~
Yes, feared to grasp… Like the stone I was presented with last night!
I trust in your strength Resa.
Thank you!
def the ones we fail to move for fear, end up being regrets…
and we are always building our temples….defining what is
sacred to us…
yes – by our works are we known.
that last stanza got me…
we rue most
the stones we failed to move
or feared to grasp.
so much truth; it is not the stones that were taken from us, but the ones we fear to grasp…
I felt the affects of those stones I’d laced with fear, I now try my best to move them
with each passing day
Anthony, as a man, I think those are our greatest battles, and greatest victories.
Beautiful poem. Lovely message. We do all sculpt our lives, sometimes unknowingly our choices, like stone, remain for a very long time.
They say Michelangelo could stare at a piece of granite large as a horse, & he could see the figure lurking inside, begging to be freed. Your poem is a perfect illustration of your prompt, and the last stanza is killer. I have talked to jazz musicians who see images as they riff, using music as painter or poet; cool hosting, sir, thanks for the visit helming the Pub.
I like this.. the way that we are all building that cathedral.. the way everything we do is toward that goal.. and also our failings…. that’s the road we all walk through life. Loved the prompt.
we’re def. all sculpturers in our own way and are able to build temples with our words and fantasy…i also like the being shaped by those we touch – the people around us and also shaping them each time we meet and talk to them… thanks for hosting tonite… a great prompt bill
I liked your poem! I’ll check out more of your stuff. Check out:
passiontorn.wordpress.com