Beyond This Keep
Lofty as they were, our aspirations held
little common ground. The ruins we share
bring me no comfort, and the walls I build
offer even less. There is more than gray
beyond this horizon, and I will find it,
leaving this darkness behind.
This is my response to Thursday Photo Prompt: Keep #writephoto
at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo, with her photo.
Perhaps this even meets the prompt from Frank Hubeny at dVerse Poets Pub for Soliloquy.
rivrvlogr 
So sobering: The ruins we share / bring me no comfort, and the walls I build / offer even less.
So many are in just this predicament … working to exhaustion on those useless walls for lack of vision (or maybe courage?)
Love your optimistic closing!
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Thank you. I know it worked for me. 🙂
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I like your description of the shared ruins offering little common ground. With that I can see how there would be more than gray beyond the horizon.
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A way out. Thank you, Frank.
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I like the echo of despair in the lines:
‘…The ruins we share
bring me no comfort, and the walls I build
offer even less…’
But there seems to be hope in the hint at something more in the title and the final lines, Ken, something beyond the keep and the horizon.
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Thank you, Kim. When I first saw the photo, my attention was drawn to that horizon, with its possibilities.
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There is so much depth and meaning to your words here Ken. Well done.
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🙂 Thank you, Linda.
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Your poem and the picture make a beautiful combination!
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Thank you. 🙂
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I read your piece as a dramatic metaphor, a poetic soliloquy all about a broken relationship; good job.
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Thanks, Glenn.
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There is a somber, calm, gentle, parting, where reality that it is time to move on is shared. It’s probably needed to be said for a long time. You capture a lot in a few words, Ken.
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A decision sometimes not easily reached. Thank you, Lisa.
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..the ruins we share…the walls we build….but I feel there is a positive in the ending. An affirmation and a determination to find the positive – the light.
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Thank you, Lillian. Sometimes, the only positive outcome is a separation.
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The ashes of the past can only push us forward to better things. Good job Ken.
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Thank you, Dwight.
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This works on lots of different levels. Maybe it’s that it’s a universal feeling – we can exert so much energy on things that are ultimately pointless.
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Yes, the time to let go. Thank you, Sarah.
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I think belief systems are mind traps – giving up any belief system is extremely difficult and deserves a period of morning, partly because they are so comforting and because they do create a feeling of family and camaraderie, but nothing beats freedom of thought.
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It’s fine, if a belief system is, in fact, shared. But then, they say that opposites attract.
And, if the belief system is the relationship itself, recognizing that it has failed (once it has) doesn’t always make it any easier to abandon it – the mistake of holding out hope of rescuing something well beyond hope.
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I love the undertones of determination in this piece. The feeling of someone who’s not going to let themselves be dragged down.
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We all need that. Thank you.
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Love this!
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Thank you. 🙂
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May we all find light beyond this keep! Great metaphor.
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🙂 Thank you, Beverly.
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The thought of finding something beyond the darkness is both sobering and hopeful I think.
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Often our fears “keep” us in darkness…insightful write to a great photo, Ken!
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Thank you, Lynn. 😀
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My pleasure!
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Excellent metaphor!
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Merci!
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Your poem holds its own even without the photo prompt! Wise words, I think. Thank you for them!
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And thank you!
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Reblogged this on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo.
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Thanks for sharing, Sue. 🙂
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My pleasure, Ken.
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A deep sadness lies here.💜
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But with hope on the horizon. 😉 🙂
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Yes indeed 💜
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Thoughtful and deeply reflective, yes, a soliloquy indeed.
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Thank you, Paul. 🙂
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I love that you moved from despair to the promise of hope.
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