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salt of gerasene


shake us
from this
cellar
exceedingly fierce
into the sea

take care
as we are legion
too many 
to count

too mighty
to pass
we are the rubble
caught
looking back

cast us not 
over bread 
nor shoulder
but rather
the backs of swine

may we drown
this unrelenting
sorrow
and finally 
know peace

Comments

  1. MaggieFebruary 14, 2011 at 6:20 PM

    Ooh, a devilish tale, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rinkly RimesFebruary 14, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    Gerasene! Not a word I'd ever heard, but it links well with my offering. Thank you for teaching me something new.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Crayotic RamblingsFebruary 14, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    Gerasene indeed.

    Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeanne EstridgeFebruary 14, 2011 at 7:18 PM

    Love this! Gerasene was new to me, too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brian MillerFebruary 14, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    wicked good rene...you inspired me tonight...

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  6. Pat - ArkansasFebruary 14, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    Salt, thy name is Legion.

    Very nice!

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  7. Irish GumboFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:11 PM

    Damnation, that was rippin' good.

    You schooled me, lass. Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  8. hedgewitchFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    Excellent riff and thanks for slapping up my bible study.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Everyday GoddessFebruary 14, 2011 at 10:17 PM

    excellent rene!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Vodka MomFebruary 14, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    i am never disappointed when I visit you. (Frank kept the candy that was supposed to go with his cards today. Sneaky little .....darling.)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tumblewords:February 15, 2011 at 12:09 AM

    Fascinating - I, too, had to search for Gerasene. Love the poem.

    ReplyDelete
  12. ianFebruary 15, 2011 at 2:09 AM

    "cast us not over
    shoulders"

    great line. great poem. once again, rene, you're an artist with words.

    ReplyDelete
  13. cosmos camiFebruary 15, 2011 at 2:23 AM

    I loved the arch of this briefly related desire.
    Really nice work.

    ReplyDelete
  14. LouiseFebruary 15, 2011 at 6:29 AM

    very old world, dark and well executed.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Máire T. RobinsonFebruary 15, 2011 at 6:51 AM

    I love "Cast us not over shoulders". Reminded me of a superstition my grandfather had. If he spilt salt by accident, he would throw some over his shoulder. I had completely forgotten about it until I read your poem!

    ReplyDelete
  16. relFebruary 15, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    Rene,
    A poem of wisdom, Salt of the Earth so to speak : both, you and your verse.
    rel

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ami MattisonFebruary 15, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    Excellent! Like the way you work in a few different allusions to salt. And I absolutely love the personification.

    ReplyDelete
  18. La Petite GalleryFebruary 15, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    It's got to be more than a penny for your thoughts. You have some great thoughts I can see.

    Good work..
    Thanks first visit.

    yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  19. DeborahFebruary 15, 2011 at 8:58 AM

    Wonderfully written, I loved this!

    ReplyDelete
  20. chiccorealFebruary 15, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    Dear NT Rockefellers: This is awesome; an excellent poem of the nature of evil. Unless someone forgot and let the demon pigs out my tail is running from that legion! Jesus being right there to "what is thy bidding my Master?" from Darth Vader Star Wars! Scary stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tess KincaidFebruary 15, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    I might just have to throw this shaker out. I'm scared of it now!

    ReplyDelete
  22. JinksyFebruary 15, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    A slty tale, forsooth!

    ReplyDelete
  23. PaulineFebruary 15, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    I own't be able to look at salt in quite the same way! Wonderful use of words here!

    ReplyDelete
  24. HelenaFebruary 15, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    You 'shook' that to us indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  25. HelenFebruary 15, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Ms. Rene ... you packed a lot of power in that tiny shaker!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. AndreasFebruary 15, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    i've never been scared of salt before. never felt sad for them either. brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  27. LynFebruary 15, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    This should be spoken aloud, with passion..an audition piece, for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hyde Park Poetry PalaceFebruary 15, 2011 at 9:44 PM

    smart take.

    keep rocking.

    ReplyDelete
  29. signed...bkmFebruary 15, 2011 at 11:11 PM

    Excellent Rene..."legions to many too count too mighty to pass"...can feel the darkness....Great Magpie...bkm

    ReplyDelete
  30. ReflectionsFebruary 15, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    Excellent piece! some incredible lines throughout the entire poem.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Chris G.February 16, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    A poem that, for whatever reason, keeps making me think of, of all things, Dante's Inferno. Strange. Dark voice, very dark - and I can see souls behind it, many and legion, crying out from hell or some dark place of the soul. Passionate and quite creative.

    And the picture...is that...a salt shaker?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Other MaryFebruary 16, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Wow - that's a good one! Powerful and smart.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Shashidhar SharmaFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    Dear Rene

    Its interesting the way you have have used the words 'looking back' in conjunction with 'cast us' and the end was perfect too..


    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2011/02/whispers-night-along-sea.html
    Twitter @VerseEveryDay

    ReplyDelete
  34. Gerry/Strummed WordsFebruary 17, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    Lovely, timely.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Uma AnandaneFebruary 17, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Nice!Love the ending :)Thanks for dropping by

    ReplyDelete
  36. Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis HallFebruary 17, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Hello, Thanks for the love to Poetry Potluck! You Rock!

    Awards 4 Poetry Potluck Week 22, Enjoy!

    Your contribution means a world to us, Happy Thursday!
    See you next time!
    xoxox


    fabulous magpie.

    ReplyDelete
  37. KavitaFebruary 17, 2011 at 7:38 PM

    WOWW!! And the grains spoke with fervor!!
    Excellent personification here, Rene... I could almost imagine the salt crystals leaping at me and making faces!!!
    Enjoyed this mag a lot!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis HallFebruary 17, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    shining tale..
    keep it up.
    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Carrie Van HornFebruary 18, 2011 at 9:36 AM

    There is raw power in your words Rene....brilliant writing! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  40. MartinFebruary 20, 2011 at 3:36 AM

    I'll be careful not to take anything with a pinch of salt, from here on.

    Poetry24…where news is the Muse

    ReplyDelete

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