"Westminster Bridge" by Canaletto‘Water Music’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson The Society January 4, 2017 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Terrorism 8 Comments Water Music Just as white as a blanket of new-fallen snow Is the noise of a waterfall cresting a brim And ebulliently thrashing the basin below. But the sound of a freshet resembles a hymn, Its discrete iterations like chants that were spoke By the guardian spirits of hillside and dale, Yet complex, contrapuntal and clearly baroque. The continuo rain, the percussion of hail And the basso profundo of groaning black ice May accompany geysers erupting with steam To engender a numinous pearl of great price In the heart of a mind at the edge of a dream. The symphonic fantasia that water creates Is a blend of its various physical states. Let Heaven and Nature Sing If Heaven’s meant to be our final home, Then why does beauty flood this earthly realm? The sea, the meadow, and the starry dome Together co-conspire to overwhelm Our senses such that we are loath to leave A world so pleasant to our ears and eyes. Creations manufactured to deceive Us don’t befit a god who’s good and wise. In fact, our very souls have been endowed With native powers to appreciate Aesthetic attributes of wave and cloud, To view this land as Heaven’s outer gate. No faithlessness occurs unless our duty Goes unattended: We are firmly bound To turn our sights on goodness, truth and beauty, Wherever these supernal gifts are found. Taqiyya* The emblematic color of Islam is green, Perhaps to signify explosive global growth Or visions of a verdant paradise not seen Too often in a desert clime, and maybe both. But be that as it may, there isn’t any doubt That for a Muslim normative veracity, When facing infidels, is better done without, In furtherance of absolute theocracy. The European sense of honor is a quaint And atavistic affectation by their lights, Which unequivocally displays the filthy taint Of Western Culture. Ordinary human rights Are worth no more than camel dung, and spoken truth Has no utility unless in service to The one and only Allah, like a broken tooth Inhibiting a man’s ability to chew. Makara, which in Arabic denotes deceit, Is de rigueur in orthodox Islamic praxis Toward infidels, whom they will nonchalantly greet With smiles before decapitating them with axes. The honor tied to promises does not apply, And mercy has no value in their calculation, For they are masters of the codified big lie That brings about an enemy’s annihilation. Though I am just a sinful man who has some doubt About a god who is benevolent and wise, I’ll put what faith I have in Him and do without A god whose patent method is to foster lies. *Taqiyya is the Islamic doctrine permitting lying and deception in dealings with non-believers. C.B. Anderson was the longtime gardener for the PBS television series, The Victory Garden. Hundreds of his poems have appeared in scores of print and electronic journals out of North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria, Australia and India. His collection, Mortal Soup and the Blue Yonder was published in 2013 by White Violet Press. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 8 Responses Wendy Bourke January 4, 2017 This is wonderful poetry! I enjoyed all three pieces – though the melodiously infused images of ‘Water Music’ are so beautifully drawn, the sonnet – as a whole – is a “symphonic fantasia”. Reply C.B. Anderson January 10, 2017 Wendy, It’ amazing what anapestic metrical feet can do for a poem. — C.B. Anderson Reply Cynthia Erlandson November 8, 2019 Yes, I agree — the anapestic meter is the best to evoke the sounds of the water. I love how you worked in the musical terms! C.B. Anderson November 8, 2019 Cynthia, I am happy that you discerned what was my utmost original intent. Ordinarily, comments here are at cross-purposes with my aesthetic aspirations. Reply Evan Mantyk December 30, 2020 A splendid work like Handel’s art, __Kip’s verse can dance, like waves that start then pull apart. Reply C.B. Anderson January 1, 2021 Evan, This is most peculiar. It takes me to the original posting, but there is no sign of your comment there. And it was so long ago. Was it an afterthought? If so, then it was a most complimentary one. Reply C.B. Anderson January 1, 2021 And it appeared in my INBOX three times. Reply The Society January 1, 2021 Kip, that is because I deleted my comment. I made it when I was recently experimenting to see how to do the indentation in the comments section. I decided to use your old post as an experimenting ground. I will restore it. -Evan Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Wendy Bourke January 4, 2017 This is wonderful poetry! I enjoyed all three pieces – though the melodiously infused images of ‘Water Music’ are so beautifully drawn, the sonnet – as a whole – is a “symphonic fantasia”. Reply
C.B. Anderson January 10, 2017 Wendy, It’ amazing what anapestic metrical feet can do for a poem. — C.B. Anderson Reply
Cynthia Erlandson November 8, 2019 Yes, I agree — the anapestic meter is the best to evoke the sounds of the water. I love how you worked in the musical terms!
C.B. Anderson November 8, 2019 Cynthia, I am happy that you discerned what was my utmost original intent. Ordinarily, comments here are at cross-purposes with my aesthetic aspirations. Reply
Evan Mantyk December 30, 2020 A splendid work like Handel’s art, __Kip’s verse can dance, like waves that start then pull apart. Reply
C.B. Anderson January 1, 2021 Evan, This is most peculiar. It takes me to the original posting, but there is no sign of your comment there. And it was so long ago. Was it an afterthought? If so, then it was a most complimentary one. Reply
The Society January 1, 2021 Kip, that is because I deleted my comment. I made it when I was recently experimenting to see how to do the indentation in the comments section. I decided to use your old post as an experimenting ground. I will restore it. -Evan Reply