At Meeting the Bar today at dVerse Poetics, Bjorn wants us to write a poem using “antithesis” as the poetic device.
“Begin at the beginning… and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” ~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Truth is a contradiction:
Warped truths lies hidden –
Pretty lies flaunt themselves.
Within us –
Deepest darkness,
Light of hope.
We sail on a voyage of life
That only ends at death.
Progression regression,
Knowledge ignorance,
Joy sorrow,
Deepest darkness,
Light of hope
End of the voyage
We disembark and
Cross the bridge
To another world.
In the darkness
The light of the stars
Remind me of the love
I believed would melt the darkness
kanzen sakura 
May 14, 2015 @ 16:47:56
This is beautiful. I love the “deepest darkest Light of hope.” Peace, Linda
May 14, 2015 @ 17:07:30
Thank you!
May 15, 2015 @ 14:30:18
Thank you.
May 14, 2015 @ 16:57:27
A shining example of writing to the prompt! Some lovely images.
May 14, 2015 @ 17:05:08
Thank you!
May 15, 2015 @ 14:29:57
Thank you very much!
May 14, 2015 @ 17:32:44
I find it interesting how just putting those opposing words together spans up a whole new space of images, and that could be a core of the poem where we can add the layers Claudia described.. loved the deepest darkness light of hope.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:29:23
Indeed. When I was through with this, I put one of those little sticky thingies on it “for future work”.
May 14, 2015 @ 17:54:04
This has a very soulful beauty. I liked it a lot.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:26:39
Thank you.
May 14, 2015 @ 18:03:22
Toni, I really like this one a lot. Truth definitely is a contradiction oftentimes. The question oftentimes is ‘Whose truth?’ and one person’s truth contradicts another’s. I liked the idea of ‘progression, regression….’ through our life’s journey. This also gives us the picture of what life is really like…nothing straight-forward, lots of back and forth, ups and downs. Antithesis really works well with your theme.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:26:25
Thank you. It is true about truth – it is rarely absolutel And in that life voyage, how often we go off course, or into a slump….thank you.
May 14, 2015 @ 18:32:19
This is awesome. The most haunting lines are the last two, “Remind me of the love / I believed would melt the darkness.” ❤ ❤ ❤
May 15, 2015 @ 14:25:21
And in truth, I did think that.
May 14, 2015 @ 18:38:23
do like how you use light and dark
May 15, 2015 @ 14:28:16
Thank you.
May 14, 2015 @ 19:06:06
Very clever using words of opposition together, dispensing with the set up of line & coital language. Your whole final stanza was killer; the unique quality of your choices makes it intriguing.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:28:03
Thank you.
May 14, 2015 @ 19:55:55
Especially like that last stanza–writing philosophical poetry can be such a challenge–and you met it!
May 15, 2015 @ 14:23:55
Thank you. It was a tad scary.
May 14, 2015 @ 19:58:04
In the second stanza, I love the pairings of the two opposing words, two words after two words after two words…..this is so very effective. Brilliant. Also, the idea that you, like so many of us, believed Love would melt the darkness….wow! What a way to put it….so profound and so thought-provoking. This is so gorgeous and on point to the prompt 🙂
May 15, 2015 @ 14:23:31
Thank you so very much for appreciating. I wasn’t quite sure I was doing it correctly so I am pleased you liked.
May 14, 2015 @ 21:07:24
Beautiful poem, Toni. I love the last stanza. These lights shine particularly vividly in the darkness.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:24:36
Yes they do and so are missed even more when they are gone.
May 14, 2015 @ 21:17:53
Ah.. yes.. darkness is pervasive.. and part of light..
and i suppose the best way to light is
from within.. and never relying
on others to light dark
for us..
and then.. just
a joy in now.. as
others
light US
UP..:)
May 15, 2015 @ 02:18:49
LOVE this.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:20:26
Thank you!
May 15, 2015 @ 05:16:27
I love that you took me on a journey through contrasts. It was contemplative and not didactic, which was most nice.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:20:08
I try not to be didactic. I punch didactic in the nose.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:24:26
Yes, your piece seemed to include ‘everything.’
May 15, 2015 @ 14:28:41
Love the quote. Always delighted to enter Wonderland.
I’m particularly drawn to the dichotomy (and deep truth) of this phrase: “Joy sorrow”
YES.
May 15, 2015 @ 14:33:00
And it is intriguing how they can exist in the same space at the same time, not always separated.
May 15, 2015 @ 15:44:56
Yes..about truth, and why we don’t believe when told that there are no absolute truth,..though I still believe that love melts the darkness..and once touched one’s heart stays there forever….
May 15, 2015 @ 16:36:25
Unless the reason for the heart touching leaves…
May 15, 2015 @ 19:30:52
I do love that final stanza. I’m glad to know a love that melts the darkness.
May 15, 2015 @ 20:50:33
It was indeed good to know that love.
May 16, 2015 @ 01:52:12
Like everyone else, I particularly appreciated that final stanza and so much that is unsaid and that we might guess at about that love which melts the darkness…
Very yin-yang feel to this poem – of course, since it deals in contrasts.
May 16, 2015 @ 09:49:46
Thank you. I felt that final stanza was itself a contrast to the rest of the philosophic words above it. I am proud of this one but have flagged it for more work – maybe. Periodically, that darkness melting love shows up. It inserted itself into this poem and I let it stay.