Angels in the Stone | Teen Ink

Angels in the Stone

September 29, 2011
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran


The scholars have talked
Of discarding their minds
The soldiers are getting tipsy
And falling out of line
And don’t you dare hope
Because hope is a crime
Just put on the kettle
And evaporate time

The wind-up bird is not bird
Till it’s dreamt of open sky
A prophet’s not a martyr
Till he’s murdered by a lie
As God’s retelling history
On the surface of His eye
You’ll have to wait in the waiting room
And wait to live or die

The very hand which wrote the law
That men are born of dust
Has pinned us to our bodies
To sanctify the trust
But half a man is hollowness
And the other half is lust
In the balance is existence
The kind that’s kind of just

In the heavy heart of darkness
Every child is left alone
Until the sunrise reaches to their eyes
And the light of life is shown
The autumn farmer is harvesting
To eat of what he’s grown
And Michelangelo is chiseling
To free an angel from the stone

Though the doctrines be forgotten
Though the holy books are moldering
Hope still dreams of flying
And freedom is still smoldering
The stars are singing dirges
And fading into the void
The midnight moon is mourning
The Sun is overjoyed

So you who sit in prisons
And wrestle for your own
May half the truth be hidden
And the other half be known
As your spirit yearns for fresher air
As your body turns to bone
Scratch at the walls till you see the stars
Or the angels in the stone


The author's comments:
Apologies to the Silent Raven of a month ago, from whom I stole the first line of this poem; but I thought that the line was fitting this time 'round as well.

Says our friend Michelangelo, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Beautiful, is it not?

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This article has 30 comments.


Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Oct. 4 2011 at 2:55 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

LOL! Bravo! What can I say, your poems are genius! They are my treats and pleasures. :) I love how you used Michelanglo, especially that quote.

. said...
on Oct. 4 2011 at 10:09 am
Yeah...ever that

on Oct. 4 2011 at 8:57 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Ha, I'm an awkward person all around, so some of that is always channeled into my poetry. That line, I think, was not a careless error, but a horrid misuse of poetic repetition. I'm glad you pointed it out, though, as I can do my best to learn from it.

Many thanks for your constructive criticism.


on Oct. 4 2011 at 8:52 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Thanks! I have always loved that quote from Michelangelo.

on Oct. 4 2011 at 8:51 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

I bribe the editor, employing my unbelievable charm, as well as pretzels and assorted candy treats. The editor can't help but give in. ;)

 


on Oct. 4 2011 at 8:48 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Thank you, you mysterious and concise individual.

on Oct. 3 2011 at 7:31 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Dude how come you always get the editor's choice thing?  JEALOUS >.<

on Oct. 3 2011 at 7:30 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

You always have good imagery Raven, I loved the part about setting the angel free.  I could see it in my mind's eye. :D

Vespa PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 3 2011 at 6:42 pm
Vespa PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
21 articles 4 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.
~Leonardo Da Vinci

I loved it, especially the line "And freedom is still smoldering." Then again, I'm a gigantic fan of imagery so I'm fairly easy to please :) Some of the lines are a bit awkward, though, such as "You'll have to wait in the waiting room / And wait to live or die." Three uses of 'wait' in one sentence is a bit overkill. So it requires some polishing, but overall it's quite good.

. said...
on Oct. 3 2011 at 12:26 pm
Thuggin. Straight thuggin.