This Poem was Submitted By: James C. Horak On Date: 2010-02-04 09:18:00 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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I Want to See Their Face Before...

I've shaken my fist to heaven                 brazen, like a church spire Only to know shame on the next          wisdom that turned its face to mine But these have no saving grace       no moment of divine repair No unentangled adjustment to make      I venture nothing more than lone               and blinding stare Still, I want to see, the moment poised        before the deed, the instant loss Before gale winds tear asunder the last       touch to human hand an appeal to God                           can make

Copyright © February 2010 James C. Horak

Additional Notes:
No study of the human heart is complete without that probing aberration. The suicide bomber is the worst. Unlike even the bomber pilot and navigator instrumenting death from a sanitary above, the suicide bomber goes among his victims, knowing full well his/her selection rules out no innocents, no grand minds or souls... to be leaving the earth too early to be enriching it with their value. They even seem intent upon the most devout, pilgrims to their religion; the most innocent, the flower of youth. I would take my fist, smear it in the gore of what they have left in their dubious wake....that, I would shake to heaven.


This Poem was Critiqued By: Terry A On Date: 2010-03-02 12:41:08
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
This poem is less determinate without the notes and though notes are meant to provide additional meaning and allow the poet to guide interpretation, I particularly like the fact that it wasn't really needed. Your poems, no exceptions I can think of, are never easily limited to one time, one situation, one meaning. Yet here, you've drawn a cord of truth through the poem which allows it to speak with hefty congruence no matter what readers might make of it. In my view, the suicide bomber is a pathetic creature, the ultimate manifestation of fanaticism disconnected from truth. But your poem goes so much further in its accusations, to the very ones who would cause the deaths of millions to maintain their hold on one planet. Yes and there are many who want to see their faces before the inevitable, to believe that justice allows those moments of clarity. A very powerful poem. Terry


This Poem was Critiqued By: Mark Andrew Hislop On Date: 2010-03-01 03:51:21
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
JCH This is the poem of the month, as far as I'm concerned. It's also the best of yours I've seen in some time. It is a poem of raw clarity. Yes. I like. MAH
This Poem was Critiqued By: Duane J Jackson On Date: 2010-02-21 21:40:33
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hi James, This piece leaves the reader with much to introspect about. It seems your heart was bleeding when you wrote about it..the subject is a delicate one, layered in controversy. Yet, nothing can count for the taking of innocent lives and the oft repeated line - 'one man's martyr, another man's killer', is tossed in the junk. A very relevant disease plaguing human relations on a global scale and you highlight its ills and the sane world's frustrations over it, poetically. A piece with much value and of course, artistry. Very relevant. Duane.
This Poem was Critiqued By: Mark Steven Scheffer On Date: 2010-02-13 16:15:29
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
JCH, The first two stanzas are heavily populated by the letter n - interesting effect. The world's a dirty rotten place - you focus on one of the aberrant causes. You ball up that fist pretty good and direct in it the right direction, amigo. MSS
This Poem was Critiqued By: Thomas Edward Wright On Date: 2010-02-10 21:47:07
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
There's some peanut butter in this samwich, JC. One of your finer efforts, IMHO. I was looking deeper into the history of religiosity than the recent incarnation of idiocy you described in your post-it note. Like into the entanglements of Popes, pederasts and poets. Like into the hearts of men lured by Hubris' seductive song. The sub-class of suicide bombers fits this billing, but the catalog is certainly heavier than an old family Bible. Thanks. Tom
This Poem was Critiqued By: cheyenne smyth On Date: 2010-02-06 18:37:18
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hi JCH, This is a powerful poem that left me staring at the computer screen, then I read it again. The impact your words make are even more dynamic with your author's notes. I can't imagine the mind set of those who strap a bomb to themselves and blow up those unfortunate souls who happen to be in the vicinity therefore snuffing out life. Even children have done this horrific deed, thinking they will spend eternity with Allah. Yet they are a part of the human race which He created. I am a Christian but I too would shake my fist and ask "What are you thinking?" This is an accomplished poem that is stark in its reality. I will remember this write for a very long time. I guess I should offer some sage advice to improve this poem. But why should I when there is nothing about it I would change? Best wishes, cheyenne
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