A siren's song
Cover your
ears and steady your steers.
Don't let that angelic voice tickle
you into a docile
suicide.
Can you see the river curve to the right, and then to the left? There, right there, it bends around a rock. On this rock, it was said, once lived a siren, who sang so beautifully that it distracted sailors who then ran their ships into the rocks and perished. An angelic voice leading them to their deaths. An intriguing image in this era of polarisation. So, the first thing I wanted you to think about, is to not fall into the trap of the echo chambers that have driven all of us farther apart. Please keep an open mind and an open heart to the ones you least agree with.
I wrote this poem a few years back after visiting the area around that faithful rock. It was one of several that were inspired by this legendary place. I wrote at least four, but before me there were many great poets who sang the song of the Loreley. One of them was Heinrich Heine. I was reminded of this part of the inspiration, as I was having a conversation about German poetry with two of my poet friends. It’s always good to look back to the great poets that came before us, enjoy their work and learn from it. With the lessons of the past, we can build a better future. That is not just the case in poetry.
What do you wish we learn from the past?
Read on for The poetics of life and Poetry elsewhere.
Three ways to support this inbox poetry magazine
Poetics of life
Poetry is not only all around you, it is all around our human history. Ever since we can write. In the beginning, they were mostly written recordings of poems and stories told from generation to generation. Recorded without naming the original author. Then Enheduanna enters the scene. And she writes. With power. She is the first-ever named author. Here’s a short lesson of her story:
Poetry elsewhere
In each issue of One Little Light, the poet John Paul Davis shares a handful of his poems by reading them to you. He writes wonderful poems, and his readings are very nice to listen to. In this particular issue, Continuing to Sing, he reads us three of his poems:
I like the diversity of humans, and how we all have our own way of seeking meaning and purpose. This poem explores that in a certain way as well. Where do you find your temple? Enjoy reading A Prayer in Bangkok:
I like looking at clouds, trying to find something recognisable before their shape shifts into something else. And sometimes I just look at the changing shapes. It’s amazing, and I’m not the only one doing so. The poet and multi-talented artist Angad B. Sodhi has his own image when he looks at the clouds changing shape. He created a beautiful digitally collectible artwork with it, that was born in a freestyle spoken word poem he shared on Instagram. Enjoy Clouds Are Free and the post on instagram.
A special announcement
You’re invited into my community: a new way to connect
Earlier this week I’ve started using a brand new addition to my Substack publication: the #trpplffct | fresh poetry & friends subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app, now available for both iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so turn on push notifications if you don’t want to miss it. Substack provide me with this how-to guide, so if you wish to join, do this:
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
Wonderful references, stories, history, places and poetry you've shared here. Thank you :)