Ph: Life: Different Faces Poem by Brian Johnston

Ph: Life: Different Faces



So which is the more valuable,
Our good friends or our lovers?
And just where does the difference lie,
In truth or under covers?

When waves of darkness swamp your boat
And you are feeling lonely,
Is clarity or warmth preferred
Or do you crave life only?

When tears fall in torrential burst
And hope seems mere placebo,
Do you recall God’s promises?
(Dare to expect a rainbow?)

To peel life’s onion also tears
Our eyes, though understanding,
Can sometimes show the heart of things
And humbles our demanding.

And sex and sacrifice there too,
A multi-layered model,
With service as a binding glue,
Precursors all to waddle. (1)

Is friendship then the heart of love
Or is that topsy-turvy
And love the heart of friendship born?
Disputing God quite nervy. (2)

And does it matter which is true,
What puts you through your paces?
A simple answer to our quest,
One coin with different faces.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: life
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Brian Johnston
March 11,2015

Poet's Notes:
(1) I am using the word waddle here as an indication of a child just learning to walk, an unsteady gait that reminds us how immature the human race really is emotionally.

(2) When the Bible says that God Himself is Love, one could assume that this gives Love a higher status than friendship, but I question that idea in this poem, though I am not sure myself of the answer. Still I stubbornly cling to the idea that true Love and true Friendship may in fact be indistinguishable from one another.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Kelly Kurt 23 March 2015

A wonderful poem. Packed with life's most important and meaningful questions. And like life, No concrete answers but reverence for the pursuit of truth.

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Bri Edwards 14 March 2015

To peal life’s onion also tears......peal or peel? i've heard of bell peppers, but not bell onions. but i've heard of pearl onions; they are found inside oysters. NO, not Rocky Mountain Oysters; those things are sperm. NO, not whales! ! ====================== With service as a binding glue, Precursors all to waddle. ...........harkening back to Peace Corps days in Africa? waddle or wattle**.........are you talking/walking ducks! ! ? ** wat·tle 1 ˈwätl/ noun noun: wattle; plural noun: wattles 1. a material for making fences, walls, etc., consisting of rods or stakes interlaced with twigs or branches. 2. Australian an acacia. verb verb: wattle; 3rd person present: wattles; past tense: wattled; past participle: wattled; gerund or present participle: wattling 1. make, enclose, or fill up with wattle. Origin Old English watul, of unknown origin. wat·tle 2 ˈwätl/ noun noun: wattle; plural noun: wattles a colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. Origin early 16th century: of unknown origin. ========================================= Forget rhyming! not too useful in this one, though i love your rhyming sometimes. :) i have some good friends with whom i'd never use the term love or lover, in referring to them. i've felt love for quite a few women, including my mom and daughter; with the latter two it was only Platonic! with the former, i had friendships at first usually, and even had friendship sometimes after the love was lost. ================= good friends vs. lovers? ? i wouldn't want to live my life without both, preferably both my whole life through, but that is a bit too much to ask, it seems! i wouldn't mind finding some of my good (female) friends under the covers tonight, but they would have to leave before the home boss came to bed! ! ! ! bri) :)

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