Stones
(3 May 1808 AD)
stones once thrown
can never be brought back
nor words once spoken
nor the bullet
once released
from musket or gun
here lies who knows who
face down in the dust
shirt soaked in blood
body pierced with lead
nor water time nor love
can ever flow back
beneath that bridge
some kneel some pray
some raise their eyes
to uncaring skies
every one of them dies
shooters
those waiting to be shot
even the soldiers
reloading their guns
never understand
how time’s tide runs
ebbs and then flows
until everyone goes
this you
lying face down
on cobble stones
well know
Comment:
The poem is drawn in part from the Goya painting of the shootings, El tres de mayo de 1808. The painting above is a close-up of Geoff Slater’s latest mural, still in progress, at Macadam Railway Station in New Brunswick. “If only the stones could speak, what stories they would tell.” This re-post was inspired by a visit to Seasons of the Witch on Mr. Cake’s Cake or Death site with its images of Goya’s Black Paintings. So, we have a continuing Goya mini-Fest, May the Second and May the third.
rogermoorepoet 
Excellent again. I will have to visit the Goya painting. And the mural above is wonderful! How cool to have that inside the rail station! Philadelphia is a city of murals – it makes me happy to have been in a city dedicated to art.
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Art is so essential to our lives. It offers ambiguous meaning and stops propaganda in the sense of rabble-rousing and single-meaning thought-stopping chants. Sometimes we must just sit down and think, without any obvious answers. Then we must weigh up various possibilities.
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I like that: sit down and think without obvious answers. Many problems would be better solved if we took more time to think things through!
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We have to. Three syllable football slogans are not the answer. They never were. Big hugs, Meg. Thanks for being there / here. Now go and watch ‘the sun go down on Galway Bay’. Because es, there will be a life hereafter and we must all light penny candles from a star … or try to anyway.
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Hugs back! Yes, 5 weeks to go. Take care Roger. I’ll read the next set of posts tomorrow. And with your permission I might reblog your article about Revisions.
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You always have my permission to reblog, Meg. It is quite the honor to be re-blogged by you. You may be interested in my notes from a writing workshop I gave in March: Writing Memories 1 (1-10). There are ten posts in the sequence.
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Excellent! I’ll be sure to look that up. I always enjoy and value your lessons on writing!
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This is profound, sad and wise Roger. Wonderful!
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Thank you. The painting itself is incredible and so very powerful. The victims of the shootings have now been identified, incidentally, a wonderful piece of historical research.
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I am glad that we are doing this Goya-Fest…II always learn so much from you Roger.
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And me from you, never fear. I just revised the poem (slightly). Added some rhyme words (!). The book is very close to being finished.
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Alas, there is no Goya painting for May 4. I’ll have to post something different. My Zeitgeist, maybe.
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I look forward to it Roger…I will visit on Sunday probably as I have a busy day tomorrow…but I definitely wont leave it as long as last time.
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