Posts by Michael Manning
Elements: Fire (Michael Manning)
by Michael Manning Elements: Fire Blessèd art thou, Lord of the deep wells of light,transfiguring flame on the brow and the tongue,warming our lives in thy victory wonwith the love like a jewel in weakness, not might.O Lord, open our eyes, give us new sight. (this is part of a series of poems by Michael, entitled “Elements”)
The Way
The Way This is the way the world is.The way we raise our shaking palms.The way we cast our ragged cloaks before the power.The way we praise the hot, expected hour,anticipating the gleeful retribution.Remember the way the walls were once torn down?The way the families stripped of firstborn scrabbled in the darkfor the child now lost?The son that lies dead.For violence wrought demands violence in return, we said.This is the way the world is.The fearful, forced, forsaken world.The punitive world…
In The Home Town (Michael Manning)
Storm-saved we were, and sheltered now at last;proclaimed our rights through years to come; grew ways glad and great,commodious; a place where justice flourished free and fast;beguiled our bright-born ones to singing halls and happy fate. He came wind-dinted, shrived by weary sorrow, nor might,nor power, nor fine-filigreed certainties in his dirty handsbut a babbler to the last and baffled us with cant; lightfell lustreless, breath-beaten dreams and songs of other lands. Called our good lives lackey, simulacrum, engorged;dared to…