Ambivalence Poem by Valsa George
Ambivalence
I wandered looking for an Abel and a Cain
Finally the journey ended in me.
As honey in a bee's comb and venom in its sting,
From man's heart, spring nectar and poison
While being an incarnation of gentleness,
A sleeping dragon lies within.
Sometimes a thousand stars litter my sky
More often life darkens into a starless night
Even when a ray of goodness lights
There is an inner darkness that bites
The hands that are extended to embrace in love
Turn into tentacles that bind to choke
A saviour and an assassin cohabit in me
The sweetness shown is in stark contradiction,
To the daggers that are hidden within
Even when I ardently preach deliverance
I turn my face from the convulsions of grief
And laugh at another's punching pain
Sometimes I become an oasis
In the panting sterility of the desert
Sometimes a snare to trap the guileless
And pull them headlong into the abyss of death
From a fairy God mother, the transition
To an evil Witch is rather unpremeditated
How fast love thistles into hatred
And admiration stoops into jealousy
We have an erratic mindscape
That changes shape every now and then
When we speak of good and bad
Aren't we showing traits of both?
Thus we are walking contradictions
Of a Yin and Yang of no judicious proportion!
We have an erratic mindscape/That changes shape every now and then/When we speak of good and bad Aren't we showing traits of both? ....here lies the essence of this fabulous poem! Besides, I appreciated the gravity of your expression reflected in these lines, " Sometimes I become an oasis/ In the panting sterility of the desert'. A marvelous work!
Congratulations on the poem's publication, it's well deserved! Hmmm, we have so many inherent contradictions within ourselves! You have explained some of those quite elaborately. Loved the comment of poetess @Mihaela Pirjol, some others' as well.
This poem, Valsa, brings up to me what Paul expresses in Romans 7. With your awareness of this shadow within, to use a Jungian term, I expect you will nourish that which is good and starve the other. As I hope and pray for myself, so for you, that we will hear from the Son of Man, well done! -Glen
2 - I, Bri, OF COURSE, never waiver from exceptional goodness in my sterling personality. bri :) P.S. For title, i'm not sure " ambivalence" is quite right, but another " bi" word may be, or maybe " contradictions" , which you used near poem’s end. I say “ambivalence” refers more to a way of thinking rather than acting.
1 - I had a bit of trouble with this, including some of the poem's structure, AND finding it (somewhat) difficult to picture Valsa as the dual personality. BUT, then, poets are not always writing about themselves, even though it sounds as if they are.
From man's heart, spring nectar and poison While being an incarnation of gentleness, A sleeping dragon lies within.... //... Yes, this is a reality and it separates us from animals. It is like having 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' syndrome built in within us. This is indeed an important poem about human nature. Thanks a lot.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/30/2024 10:40:56 PM # 1.0.0.1119
It is hard to select a few lines to show how beautiful this poem is. For, excellence runs all through. What a fine depiction of human nature! \No one is a complete mahatma, no one all saint, And no one is from top to toe a crook, For, mortals are we. We are no gods to be perfect, but we can excel still, Nor demons, and still can reach demonic depth.
Thanks a lot Aniruddha sir for your lovely comment!