Animate objects

Even filing cabinets have feelings,

so too the carpet trod carelessly

underfoot; the purse or wallet that

knows your PIN, but never tells.

It's why children talk to teddy bears,

and sticks picked up from forest floors

become Superhero ray guns; or magic 

wands that make wishes come true;

And why cars won't start on really 

cold mornings and mountains move 

with the times; how a house becomes
a home and pencils guide the poet's hand.   

But most of all, it's the knowing.

The sense that everything lives,

as early morning dew spotlights

the intricate weave of spider webs 

and fallen leaves come alive, to dance

in chorus line with the music of the wind.

It's matter, absorbing emotion, 

the impalpable motion of time 

as we ebb and flow like liquid 

in a different, parallel world.

Suspended in frozen belief; only 

becoming free, when once again,

Prometheus steals fire from 

the heavens, and this time, 

animates everything.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

oh Beccy...i had to smile when i read this....i certainly relate to what you have said here...
i have this crazy habit (and just keep this between you and me) of bumping into furniture and saying "excuse me"---
or dropping a utensil on the floor in the kitchen and saying "sorry"---
i guess i live in Tolkien's world where everything is alive....everything.
Such a clever piece.
j.

[Beccy]

You're not alone jacob. I have actually caught myself apologising to the contents of a kitchen cupboard, as I close the door and shut out what little light they were enjoying. :))

[emipoemi]

Profound, powerful, absolutely stunning!! You have some questionable linebreak in Stanzas 2 and 3 (that you should look into, as they do more harm to the piece than good), but the musicality, the message, the progression, the sheer PO-E-TRY!!! Astounding!! That last stanza is killer and is in all honesty poetry in motion right down to its cathartic finale. Well freaking done!!

[Marie-Louise.]

You must have an intrinsic sea of words and thoughts and ideas that you can effortlessly dip into. A poets mind, a literary brain that absorbs all corners. A gift of observation, seeing a world from a different point of view.
I have much to learn, but I so enjoy the learning, reading works like this. Thank you Beccy.

[Beccy]

Thank you Marie-Louise for your lovely comment. Not sure myself sometimes, how a poem is birthed. I simply love thinking and dreaming about things, then capturing them as best I can on paper.

Have a lovely new year.

Beccy.

[Terpsichore]

Beccy. You bring everything alive with this wonderful poem, and as jacob observed, it is such a clever piece. I especially enjoyed the reference to children talking to Teddy Bears and making magic in their own little make believe world, a world that may well be closer to the truth than our perceived adult reality.

Whoops, gotta go, damn car won't start and I'm late already. :)

T

[Beccy]

That's the thing with children T, theirs IS the real world. As for your car, just go and ask nicely, it works wonders. :))

[Samuel Dickens]

Much of this seems to be seen through the eyes of a child--simplistic but highly imaginative. How marvelous that they (we) can behold a world of delight, void of things like war and crooked politicians.

[Coyote Poetry]

Wonderful words and thoughts shared dear Beccy,
"Prometheus steals fire from
the heavens, and this time,
animates everything."
The above lines are true. If we allow, the fire can be smothered. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Gee]

I tend to find myself bawling abuse at both Alexa and Siri. I also have heated, one way, arguments with the sat nav lady, who seems to think it funny to give me instructions to change direction AFTER junctions passed.
Good morning, hope you are both well.

[Beccy]

Alexa and Siri and the Sat Nav lady should only be used by those under 21. I leave all that sort of thing to Charlie,same as he leaves me to pick up after him. :))

All well here, and seasons greetings to your and yours.

[Gee]

Thank you. Hope you have a great Christmas and New year

[Fran Marie]

I think the same thing of different objects I talk to appliances especially when they go on the blink..like the toster burning my toast and. I can understand the was machine singing its song with a certain rhythm
although plants are living I do notice they do flourish more if you talk to them and I do..the thing I like most here is the magic of children personifying. Objects with their wonderful imagination .it is such a loveliness to behold

Merry Christmas

[emmajoy]

Whatever however big or small makes us FEEL makes us more human surely. Our surroundings mirror our needs and the paths we walk, run or adventure along. Once seen they become part of life's experience, no matter inanimate, surely.

You have a way of opening giant, solid wooden doors and inviting people into a world of utter awareness. Always have and will... you are so much appreciated and admired. Nuff said.

A wonderful piece of writing.

[Jimmy Yetts]

Thoroughly charming.
Your poem, itself, is certainly one of those "Animate Objects."
Most impressive work, Beccy!

[Eilis]

Those last four lines are my favorite. Prometheus willing to steal the fire again even knowing the torment that awaits. There's a sense of awe and mystery here, but also the knowingness of the creative mind. We don't have to outgrow the child completely. Imagination keeps us on that plain if we allow it to move as it likes when we are able.

I particularly notice the animated sense of inanimate things when I am rushing and frustrated. It is then that a tower of boxes will mysteriously come crashing down, or a family of silverware will jump from my hand onto the floor as I'm shifting it from the dishwasher to the silverware drawer.

I love the whimsy of this, Beccy. There is always some secret thing waiting to be discovered if we are open to it.