WHILE REFLECTING ON THE DOOZERS

07 21 14

Stationed in the ant farm
under cover of a sand grain
I am tethered to the lure
of beauty in majorities
Blind to solid hues
I forget my place amongst
an army of encapsulated ground
on the ridges of construction
Solidarity without a sound
Animation on its own is not
the tonic for my contemplation
of the origin of progress
in a myriad of salutations
Ultimately I'll acknowledge
sight between the primary colours
and confess to misconstrued blindness
in my black and white shame
paving the neglected way for admiration
in this schizophrenic stakeout
I'll extend a vision of respect
commanded by the regiment
of size-ignoring yeomen
thwarting entertainment for their
toy store superiors in rapt
allegiances of tunneled art
then to my morose sense of humour
I'll return in a remembrance
of the vow of Milton's Satan
to construct in his anointed hell
a heaven's culture

Author's Note

Doozers:

The Doozers are a race of characters from Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" show who love to work. They're tiny, green creatures who usually sport construction helmets, boots, and tool belts. Doozers stand approximately knee-high to Fraggles, at six inches tall.

Unlike Fraggles, Doozers love to work all day long, and they hate playing games. Most Doozers are construction workers, while others are architects or miners. With the help of various Doozer machines and vehicles, they build elaborate constructions all over Fraggle Rock, like towers, buildings, roads and bridges.

- Muppet Wiki

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'The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..'

- Satan, "Paradise Lost"

Reviews

[Kleio13]

"Ultimately I'll acknowledge
sight between the primary colours
and confess to misconstrued blindness
in my black and white shame ".

Lately I`ve been feeling this way quite a lot. And i agree with the Doozers, it is a paradise lost and the myriad in your brain is your army.

[Rita L. Sev]

Bringing such deep thoughts and demon-searching from pondering Muppets - brilliant, and uniquely you, Steve.

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much Rita...it was a difficult but necessary one to write, so glad you enjoyed it :)

[Troy Henson]

Sometimes what we see is not the picture painted at all.

Very nice

[kublakhan27]

Very true...thank you Troy :)

[Lyn Anderson]

For me, I pictured the progress of apartment buildings and stores being erected in place of historical lands and treasures. Not sure what that has to do with Muppets, but that is what I thought

[kublakhan27]

I grew up watching Fraggle Rock, and there is a definite link between the Doozers and your thoughts, except they build upon what's already there without destroying any of it...I probably was thinking along your lines though given the mood I was in at the time...glad you enjoyed it.

[Lydia Shutter]

Demons trip the light fantastic through this one! Have to tell you the fact you start off with ant hills made me itchy...we just found an ant hill the size of Montana outside our house! You are indeed a rebel angel and worthy of living in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Beelzebub would roar at you as you gaze at the perceived beauty others seem to enjoy...the beauty that seems to be just outside of the grasp of your fingertips. Why is it that we see things in shades of gray when others see them in vivid chromatic shades? Why do the jewel tones evade us? Is there heaven really heavenly? I believe there is a thin line between heaven and hell....and it all is in the perception. You seem to keep your sense of humor...albeit morose...through it all. That is very important and gives your poetry that edge I so enjoy. What can I say? Your poetry takes me on a wonderful journey. Lydi**

[kublakhan27]

I am truly speechless my friend...I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time of offer such an in-depth review...you know me so well now, having read a good bit of my work...it's funny but I think the few people that have reviewed this piece have all mentioned demons as they pertain to me, and I can't argue with it...I agree with what you said about the thin line...sometimes we think in our heart of hearts that we're doing the right thing when we're actually inciting chaos, and the scariest thing is that some people never realize that...I guess there's little more I can say, as you've summed it all up so succinctly here...I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support you've given me, and for your uncanny understanding of what my mind is doing when such things are getting written...thanks so much :)

[Matching Socks]

"So farwel Hope, and with Hope farwel Fear,

Farwel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;

Evil be thou my Good;"


Really deep thinking poem here my friend... We all get lost with our demons sometimes but I've really learned a new appreciation for those demons over time. For they guide my way now for better or worse in the choices I make.

Btw. I loved Fraggle Rock! I'm not so old neither am I so young to remember.
Shoot, now I have the Fraggle Rock song in my head. Remember it? :-)

Love your poetry, takes me to deeper levels.

[kublakhan27]

Haha I do indeed remember the song...I was just at the right age to enjoy the show :)

Evidently my demons do not take summer vacations...it's so hard for me to explain what goes on in my head beyond what I can say in the poems...I definitely know what you mean by 'better or worse' though...my pen is pushed by divinity and demons in equal measure, and when they fight for my ink, this is the kind of stuff that comes out...thanks so much my friend, I'm glad you enjoyed it and made you think :)

[Matching Socks]

Always a pleasure. ; )

[Frieda P]

I see Dali was in the house again, and darkly colored outside the lines. Only you could come up with the Doozers and ant hills and make it work so brilliantly. There are no words, when you don't see you....tunneled art are the key words here.

Ultimately I'll acknowledge
sight between the primary colours
and confess to misconstrued blindness
in my black and white shame

That's a poem in and of itself, says so much my sweet friend. Wish you could see your talent the way others see you....you are genius beyond compare. Excellent as always, but tugs at Mrs R's heartstrings. xo

[kublakhan27]

This is a very rare occurrence in which I'm struggling to find words to respond Mrs.R, and I'm not sure why that is the case...maybe I'm just wondering if I'll ever be satisfied, even if my lot got bigger, and that's a scary thought to me...there are three things I need to learn, you know what they are...I need to learn to embrace my own work and my style...from that, I need to embrace that there is a group of people that do appreciate it and enjoy it, and from that, I need to be thankful for them and stop chasing a bigger group...all the world's a stage, and we all have a role, and an actor must often accept a number of unwanted roles before he lands a big one...will I ever land a big one? Well I did this week, and you know how happy it made me, but it was a less personal work...but with every cathartic piece I write, I think I get a little closer to being comfortable in my own skin...you and my friends have been unspeakably good to me, and I'm sure I test the patience of you all from time to time, but now that I have found the words and are sitting here typing them out, I realize just how unconditional your support has been, listening to the same old lamentations from me...I'm close to tears at this point, and they may come before I post this comment...thank you Frieda, my dearest friend...I'm so glad you enjoyed and understood this one...for all its cryptic and Dali-esque inferences, it may be the most personal thing I've written in a long time...xo

[AprilRN1210]

Reminds me of the Eagles--"hotel California".. you can check out but you can never leave.. We all have our demons, our own colors to which we paint our life.. our uniqueness... While we can see the bright, colorful constructions of others, why do we always compare ours to "theirs"?... we can make our hell into heaven.. We can make unbelievable beauty with just black and white.. perspective, perception... It is what our heart feels.. stop letting what we want affect what we have... see the beauty that is within.. "the majority" while may seem so captivating and alluring, is bland and common.... there isn't beauty in that.. it is stale and flavorless.. sometimes the bitter is better.. depends on the tastebuds of the one eating... The commanding of respect is a must.. those who SEE you for what you are, what you possess, what true talent in your craft you wield, they can do nothing but revere in your amazing ability.. doesn't matter that you aren't rainbows and sunshine--I myself prefer the dark and different... Love the last line... it IS what you make it... you may not have control over some things but you can control how they affect you.. awesome work as always, my friend...

[kublakhan27]

I'm truly touched by this amazing review my friend...there are certain feelings I just can't shake no matter how much I purge about them in my writing, but whenever I feel like I'm on the verge of frustration and loneliness, I get a review like this and I realize that someone knows where I'm coming from...I honestly don't have the words to do justice to how grateful I am for you taking the time to dig into my work, especially this one, with the depth and understanding that you have...thank you April.

[AprilRN1210]

Don't have to dig, sir.. It is right there in your brilliantly crafted black and white crayon... Standing in all of its glory, singing to my heart... the purging will never get "rid" of it, but it does make it bearable... sometimes that is all we can do is "lighten" the load.. it always helps to have the ability to lean on others.. to know that someone else "gets" you... that someone takes the time to "look".. I can say without a doubt, you ARE worthy.. you have an amazing talent and a beautiful spirit... I am glad that my words could touch you... It is my pleasure.. you are more than welcome...