Poem a Day Challenge #20 (Exist)

Scott Andrew Bailey

Today’s poem of the day is another old one I have reworked. I chose this as I had read one on a blog I follow that evoked memories of this to me. (That one is here http://reowr.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/when-galaxies-cry/ ) There also seem to be a few more with similar theme and imagery on today. The other reason is that I wanted to post something a bit more upbeat and positive than I had been putting up lately.

Exist

By Scott Bailey © 1999

If I
Cease to exist
Will my
heart and soul dissolve in the air?
If I
Breathe my last breath
Will my
Golden thoughts shine anywhere?
If I
unbind from this earth
And
Sail the sun
right out to the stars.
Will I
Find my way back?
Or
Roam forever that celestial park?

If I
Cease to exist
Will my
Precious dreams chase after my soul?
If I
breathe my last breath
Will my
Endless hopes continue to roll?
If I
Fly up from the earth
And
Spiral up to the bright dancing stars
Will I
Find my way back
Or
Make my home where galaxies are?

Hard to exist
Back to back to the hammer of flesh.
Gasping for breath
Tried escape from this strangling mesh.
Tied hard to the earth
Brought to ground by invisible hands.
If I
Find my way back
Will I
Find my house fallen in sands?

Shout to exist
Drink the sun and swallow the air!
Savour the breath
Turn the corner and take up the dare!
Stand firm on the earth
And
Walk the roads under the stars.
We’ll find our way back
While our dreams fly where galaxies are.

Get the previous ones here

http://wp.me/P3kG6h-bb

9 thoughts on “Poem a Day Challenge #20 (Exist)”

  2. Cubby Tue June 18 2013 / 3:36 pm

    Very nice! Loved this. Those questions you ask will remain lost, unanswered, in the void of space. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Lilian Tue June 18 2013 / 3:07 pm

    I like the rhythm of this. I can imagine it being read by Ian McMillan.

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    • thehouseofbailey Tue June 18 2013 / 3:09 pm

      I had the tune of a song in my head when I wrote it though the tune diverged as I wrote so not exactly based on it.

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        • thehouseofbailey Tue June 18 2013 / 3:12 pm

          I am not sure of the title. I only actually had the first line which was in a Film called Pump Up the Volume. I think its by the Pixies. But that first line was enough – I imagined how the tune went after that and constructed this poem around that tune.

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          • Lilian Tue June 18 2013 / 3:15 pm

            Interesting way of doing it. Apparently REM write their songs like this (tune before lyrics), but I always thought it would be difficult to write this way round. I would always start with the words and find a tune to fit them to. (When I was about 15 and writing silly songs!)

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            • thehouseofbailey Tue June 18 2013 / 3:18 pm

              I usually have the words or concept first, I rarely do it this way. Don’t often have a tune in my head. A rhythm usually but not an actual tune.

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