Our Virtual Story
Doubt they call him Alice
A superhero minds his dreams
Instead of Finding Nemo
His birthplace fills this screen
Beneath pallid, porous, chip defaced
Crumbling walls; he’ll always miss
Preview sporting acne scars
With fuming tags, graffiti adds
Capitol columns, botanical gardens
Statues defecting, passing by
Honorable mentions
Over passed time
Through the Photoshopped window
Suggesting amends
So unlike riffs to air guitar
Being simple enough
We all pretend
Absorbing impressions leading invention
From cliched song to artistic pretension
Fate buries each when life ends
It was a spring Saturday
Mourning away
Perhaps he cannot stand
Nor perceive nuance in cartoon
Caught up in realistic visual play
Assuming it all exists for a second
Not knowing what I mean
When pixels burst like hemorrhages
Bled to reconvene
And thus a chapter closes
Our virtual story rote
Imagination never dies
When bridging one’s false hopes
________________
Care for a reading?
*graphic design by me
__________________________________________________________
One Shot Wednesday!
Participate by posting a poem & sharing feedback.
It’s an honor for me to host this week—
Come see our new home:
@ One Stop Poetry
______________________________________________________________________________________
*@Onestoppoetry has been nominated for a Shorty Award in the #ART CATEGORY (as well as in #Poetry)
So if you like what we do & wish to show your support, then click on the logo and tweet your vote. (*You have to be a twitter user prior to start of this contest & provide a reason in vote).
Help us win the #Art Category!
Thank you
February 1, 2011 at 4:04 pm
I think you read my mind…”bridging one’s false hopes”, feeding desire in pixles, you know I’ve written a few poems on this subject. Loved the photograph Adam, glad I popped through to say hello once more
February 1, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Can’t wait to see you the revision and re-revision went. lol Thanks, Shan! Setting up OSW. Will stop by in a bit 🙂 Cheers
February 1, 2011 at 4:45 pm
tight…fabulous word play dustus….and that last line is killer…happy mourning to him…smiles. have a great one shot
February 1, 2011 at 4:51 pm
See you out on trail, B!
February 1, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Such a strong piece, & it keeps grabbing you all the way up to the last word.
Really loved it. 🙂
February 1, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Fascinating image just full of nuance, as is the poem. However false the hopes, how bleak this street and the life on it would be without them and the imagination that cushions harsh reality. Truly a well-crafted marriage here of art and words.
February 1, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Not only was I moved by the story within your poem, but your words, the way they flow…well done!
February 1, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Playing through the “what is” with the “what could be – the what I want it to be – what it should be” – photoshopping your mind with possibilities, great construction here and the image and words weave together asking and answering unrelated questions in the reader’s mind. Deep and deft. Well written and excellent, friend.
February 1, 2011 at 5:27 pm
count me among the crowd when i say that the last line is stunning. i never seem to be able to differentiate between realistic hopes and false hopes though. or not until after the fact. what would we do without imagination? what would we be? as always, a brilliant poem, Adam. ♥
February 1, 2011 at 5:30 pm
This was beautifully crafted; I actually found myself out of breath at the end, as I was reading faster and faster. I enjoyed your poem tremendously. Thank you! Cheers, Dave
February 1, 2011 at 5:47 pm
the image captured MY imagination immediately and I felt as though he was about to enter that rabbit hole like alice…perhaps he did.
February 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Adam, an excellent poem of false hopes and the last stanza is so powerful.
February 1, 2011 at 6:08 pm
A well crafted poem and very tight ending to the poem.
February 1, 2011 at 6:22 pm
And that is an excellent exercise in imagination. Loved it.
February 1, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Which came first, the image or the poem? Both are fantastic and incredibly inspiring. You choose power words each and every time. Now, for some silly reason, I’ve the urge to slip in the realm of Xbox and escape my own reality! Yet another awesome write.
February 1, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Beautifully lyric poem. I liked the line “Imagination never dies”, so true because sometimes hope and imagination goes hand in hand. Thank you for sharing!
February 1, 2011 at 6:55 pm
A complex human condition told succinctly and beautifully. Lots of great lines here but I think my favorite are these:
Absorbing impressions leading invention
From cliched song to artistic pretension
Fate buries each when life ends
Thanks, Adam
February 1, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Wonderful poem, Adam. These two stanzas really packed a wallop for me, and actually work well even when they stand alone.
Absorbing impressions leading invention
From cliched song to artistic pretension
Fate buries each when life ends
And thus a chapter closes
Our virtual story rote
Imagination never dies
When bridging one’s false hopes
February 1, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Really powerful piece, Dustus!
February 1, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Beautifully nuanced poem
February 1, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Ah, so there is some hope. “Imagination never dies.” Thanks for sharing another great and clever One Shot!
February 1, 2011 at 10:03 pm
For me, this is a complex poem, with imagery that needs time to digest.
Powerful enough, and your imagination blows me away.
Lady Nyo
February 1, 2011 at 10:29 pm
all the while I read I kept thinking of T.S. Elliot and this reminded me so much of studying his writing. at times I wish I could write like this, dustus, at times, I grow envious 🙂
February 1, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Love the flow of this. It really draws the reader through the poem. Mine is here. http://razzamadazzle.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/footprints/
February 2, 2011 at 12:06 am
Your talent and skill are clear so that makes your feedback more vital to aspiring poets.
February 2, 2011 at 12:11 am
This was a wonderful piece to read. It allowed for solid reflection. The picture is incredible. There were three lines that really grabbed me:
“Statues defecting, passing by
Honorable mentions
Over passed time”
Bravo!
February 2, 2011 at 2:23 am
We all are now surrounded by virtual characters. So much discussion on them as if they are real. Good oneshot.
February 2, 2011 at 3:24 am
Where reality ends, and a virtual world begins, it’s hard to tell these days..
I sometimes wonder if our thoughts are nothing but by-products of a long lost virtual civilization… but that’s just crazy me talking!
The last 2 lines of your poem sent me into a spiraling staircase of relatable incidents and memories…wheeeww!!
You sure can write, Adam… and too damn well at that!!! Jeez… this was a masterpiece!! And with that image, it calls for showcasing…really!!!
February 2, 2011 at 3:36 am
Terrific lines that simply graze by feelings like in a mine field! Great narrative you used to frame it. I love the stanza next to the last–‘..a spring Saturday/mourning away…where pixels burst like hemmorhages/bled to reconvene…” and in my mind as I read it again, begin all over again. Thanks, Adam!
February 2, 2011 at 3:44 am
‘Statues defecting…’, you use words so energetically, so playfully…nice, one.
February 2, 2011 at 5:48 am
Wow! Fantastic pairing of image and poem. Lots of great lines, especially the stanza that begins “absorbing impressions.” Terrific storytelling!
February 2, 2011 at 6:12 am
Photoshopping Life…can it work on 8mm?…morning D and thanks for the venue to expose ourself…legally !
Peace, hp
February 2, 2011 at 6:47 am
Well done Adam. 🙂
February 2, 2011 at 7:46 am
I think you may have managed to capture all of the virtuality of our culture in one poem. Well done, Adam
February 2, 2011 at 9:36 am
Hi Dustus, wanted to let you know I stopped by and read (and read untiring ~ 4 times to tell) ~ but what can I add to the already incredibly expressed, ‘graze like .. in a minefield’ .. as ‘pixels burst .. to reconvene’
deftly construct ~ hovers real or false hope ~ or somewhere inbetween ~ but the last lines clinched this power packed pow ~ Imagination never dies
When bridging one’s false hopes ~ which came first ~ imagination Rides!!
~ Loved ~
~ Lib ~
February 2, 2011 at 10:24 am
A nice examination of how the natural and the man-made constantly bump into each other as well as the who we are cf. the who we want to be (or perhaps believe we are). Very strong piece of work.
February 2, 2011 at 10:51 am
Great poem, Dustus.
“aught up in realistic visual play
Assuming it all exists for a second
Not knowing what I mean
When pixels burst like hemorrhages
Bled to reconvene”
That touches a chord…
February 2, 2011 at 11:26 am
this was excellent….the subject matter was so damn good…loved the false hopes..Adam…one of my favourites by you here…i think it’s because there is so much to take in, so much happening in my mind during the read…cheers pete
February 2, 2011 at 11:36 am
I too have to echo the crowd that your ending line was fabulous. I definitely think false hopes, imagination and creativity are intertwined… for better or worse. 🙂
February 2, 2011 at 11:48 am
I really enjoyed reading this – I love what you do with words, I love the story lurking within your poem. Mostly I live in my imagination, so, love this!
xx
February 2, 2011 at 12:09 pm
this is a very cool post. I love your use of words. I’m glad you stumbled on my blog
February 2, 2011 at 1:01 pm
I really enjoy hearing you read the poem. I may need to do that on mine.
I appreciate the exactness of each image. Well done.
February 2, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Imagination never dies
When bridging one’s false hopes
And oh what a ride you take us on and finally leave us with the promise that imagination never dies! Beautifully written and I enjoy listening to your reading while following along! Another quality work my friend…
February 2, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I loved listening to you read this poem, Dustus. Reminded me of my two year old, how everything is so real to him and differently real than the adult perception. Very good graphics!
February 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Great work Adam! I absolutely loved the ending, my favourite part, but the whole poem resonates with me too 🙂
February 2, 2011 at 2:19 pm
I Live on false hopes Brother, sometimes thats all we have.
February 2, 2011 at 3:52 pm
The poem was a joy to read…the way the words fell together and the images they created. Your talent amazes me.
February 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm
the photoshopped window, suggesting amends…this line alone says a lot about the false hopes…really liked it…and instead of finding nemo…well..smiles
February 2, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Great poem. The assonance throughout and layers of images are great.
February 2, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Excellent Dustus and I love your reading of this…your reading brings it to life to be truly appreciated….thank you…bkm
February 2, 2011 at 10:46 pm
The thing that comes to mind, that imagination never dies… as long as hope and dreams exist, and of course in opposition, as long as there is imagination, there will always be hope and dreams.
Excellent write.
February 2, 2011 at 11:00 pm
this one is a masterpiece. the thought, the powerful words, the design, the graphics, the voice reciting – loved everything about it. All the best.
February 3, 2011 at 12:20 am
Love the rhythm of this, the narrative and the voice. “Being simple enough, we all pretend” Love it!
February 3, 2011 at 10:10 am
I adore the ending stanza of this poem, and the opening line. I want to call him Alice now! I think it’s an amazing write about imagination and the worlds we all have inside.
February 3, 2011 at 10:39 am
The beginning grabbed me and the ending became my favorite; great images throughout, too!
February 3, 2011 at 12:20 pm
This is stunning, the blends of fantasy to realisms, set within like clouds & brick to me. EXCELLENT writing and love the finish! Well done! 🙂 ~April
February 3, 2011 at 1:44 pm
thus the chapter closes – yes but the imagination never dies..
haunting one this
February 3, 2011 at 3:35 pm
I love the ending to this piece. It flowed well into the picture. Nice!
February 3, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Emotional yet in a very subtle manner.
‘Imagination never dies in bridging ones false hopes’
A lot of power in that statement.
Yet even though we all know we shouldn’t we end up doing it anyway ‘falling down the rabbit hole’
Great poem Adam
February 3, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Deep and mind grabbing.Truly powrful and captivating words.Make me wish I write as powerfully.
Thanks for dropping by my side,Adam.Truly a privilege.
February 4, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Great word choices, great flow – excellent.
February 6, 2011 at 12:49 am
The virtual story – which another generation wouldn’t understand
delightful