At dVerse, Peter is hosting Meeting The Bar with an invitation to look at first lines – beginnings.
dVerse Poets – MTB – Beginnings
“I seem to have run in a great circle, and met myself again on the starting line.” Jeanette Winterson
The Question And, so it begins, I buy myself in order to be myself, that I might become a symbol of me, some utopian project where stories abound with the courage of hopelessness, and the maelstrom of warlords in my mind, private pathologies irrupting, ever renewed, the punch line obscure and, finally, the question, how might it end. ©Paul Vincent Cannon
parallax 
Beautiful
LikeLiked by 3 people
Many thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an opening line no one could resist … a wonderful poem following.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad it had that affect, thank you very much for sharing Helen.
LikeLike
… in order to be myself, philosophical.
I appreciate you poems that met on the starting line.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And I very much appreciate you reading them, and especially your responses, thank you Amy.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wise words, Paul. Many thanks to you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved this bit of self examination … and I learned a new word as well. I had never encountered “irrupting” before! Thanks for that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m so delighted you enjoyed this and very much appreciate your words, and I’m glad to have stimulated an encounter with that word too, thank you very much Beverly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always that question.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, endless really, many thanks VJ
LikeLiked by 2 people
Always my pleasure,Paul
LikeLiked by 1 person
This poem deserves a standing ovation! 💝 Poignant, philosophical and deeply engaging 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow, thank you for the powerful response Sanaa
LikeLike
Very edgy, Paul. The resignation, the ambivalence, the self-awareness, the ambiguity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Many thanks indeed Lisa, much appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liked this a lot Paul – an ironic first line, puns and playing with words (‘I buy myself to be myself’ is a cracker) and the sense of the grandiose deflating, as the lines shorten towards the final (again ironic) line – a meditation on life, purpose and poetry. Terrific stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great, endless piece! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Many thanks Tom 🙂
LikeLike
I like the way this poem circles around itself , a compact, effective and affecting piece.
JIM
LikeLiked by 2 people
Many thanks indeed Jim 🙂
LikeLike
Speaking of philosophical, your poem brought to mind the head games my brother played with me when he took intro to philosophy in college. (What if you only exist in someone else’s dream? and so on.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I remember those games, such fun (well so long as you’re not being teased)
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was all in good fun. My little brother would never do anything to upset me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad to hear that 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A bookended poem.. And, so it begins/ how might it end and somewher in the middle of all that ‘the punchline is obscure’ and “stories abound with the courage of hopelessness’; good stuff.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, I enjoyed your response – much appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
the never ending cycle of the monkey mind exquisitely captured … how’s the book going?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Slowly, have found some help re editing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
glad of that, can’t imagine how tricky that is with a large volume of your own work … planning to get a publisher or do it yourself?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a possible connection to follow up, so it might be possible to get it published, long shot.
Are you saying I’m a bit loud 🙂
LikeLike
lol well if it’s a manuscript of your life it will be LOOOONg 🙂 not necessarily loud 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol, well that makes two of us 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The end is the beginning. The question stays…
LikeLiked by 2 people
It really does, and round we go, thank you Rupali 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
✨✨🎉😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
“maelstrom of warlords in my
mind, ”
What an amazing image that is, Paul. Wonderful poem!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sometimes it really seems that way, really appreciate your response 🙂
LikeLike
We may think we can buy it, but it takes time to see that if that is true, the currency is not known to anyone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, very much so, I like your thought Bjorn.
LikeLike
i really love the thoughtfulness! Thank you for sharing, Paul! Gives me a lot to rethink by myself. Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad to have stirred your mind, happy thinking Michael 😉
LikeLike
great poem
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike