Look Up, Hannah The Society August 20, 2012 Poetry 2 Comments By Joshua Philipp We laid in mud at sorrow’s end, in a land of woeful souls. It’s a place where dreams of hollowed men are flown as flags on poles. And weary riders seeking doom ride blindly over cliffs. Machines of burden click and boom and send the bodies stiff. Oh, soldiers following the tune so blindly they do die. For men whose hearts are black and ruined, dictators telling lies. Yet Hannah, don’t give up your hope look now into the skies. When angels lower heaven’s ropes, give souls the wings to fly. Ruins of castles crawl with vines and trees where stones were set, For so long as men grow old and die, we’ll all have freedom yet. Notes: Based on Charlie Chaplin’s “look up, Hannah” speech. Joshua Philipp is a newspaper editor, writer, and poet living in Astoria, New York City. He is vice president of the Society of Classical Poets. Click here for other poems by Joshua Philipp. 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. Trending now: 2 Responses Jean-Marie Le Pavot March 2, 2021 Dear Joshua, Your lovely poem, Look Up, Hannah, would become more fully equal to itself if you would just shift a letter or two in its opening verse to make it read more suitably: We lay in mud at sorrow’s end. To say that one has laid in mud can only mean that one has taken mud and put it into something. To say that one has lain in mud or, as here, that one lay in mud, is to say that one has been in a prostrate or recumbent position in the mud–which is surely what we were doing at sorrow’s end, in a land of woeful souls, not stuffing sorrow’s end or that land of woeful souls with mud, for it was already there in sorrowful, indeed, in woeful abundance. With friendly greetings and kind regards, Jean-Marie Le Pavot Reply Raven March 22, 2021 Personally, I loved it as it was written Josh. ❤ Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Jean-Marie Le Pavot March 2, 2021 Dear Joshua, Your lovely poem, Look Up, Hannah, would become more fully equal to itself if you would just shift a letter or two in its opening verse to make it read more suitably: We lay in mud at sorrow’s end. To say that one has laid in mud can only mean that one has taken mud and put it into something. To say that one has lain in mud or, as here, that one lay in mud, is to say that one has been in a prostrate or recumbent position in the mud–which is surely what we were doing at sorrow’s end, in a land of woeful souls, not stuffing sorrow’s end or that land of woeful souls with mud, for it was already there in sorrowful, indeed, in woeful abundance. With friendly greetings and kind regards, Jean-Marie Le Pavot Reply
