Category Archives: Mythology

December 24, 2022 · 2:54 pm

Making Sense – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

“A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.” Rollo May

Making Sense

In the center of a myth is its beauty,
a timeless seed of experience
unrelated to fact or truth,
and understood only in the 
languages of the heart,
mostly spoken on the margins
and in the shadows of the soul,
seen by those who want to see,
known by those who trust
what it is to story gods
and lesser beings.


Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

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December 23, 2022 · 3:18 pm

Fairy Tales – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image: darkmoon_art at pixabay.com

“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” Hans Christian Andersen

Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are so important,
and they must remain so,
they carry a seed of deep truth,
something learned long ago,
one thing necessary for life,
a key to open the moment,
the future, even the past,
but to try and live the tale
is to destroy it's meaning,
a child's play,
fool's errand,
it can be done,
a pathology,
crazy talk,
it should never be,
they are not meant to be lived,
to try is to wreck the universe,
to sunder the way things are,
leaning into story,
destroying the myth,
killing hope,
the story must be for itself
and we the vicarious 
companion on the way.


Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

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December 15, 2022 · 3:17 pm

Shall I Tell? – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.” Tahir Shah

Shall I Tell?

Some things are worth noting
on the canvas of human life,
however lamentable they might be,
and some are lamentable but
we no longer have the luxury of assuming,
so we must gather together the strands,
give a sense of our flavour,
surely there is no original sin,
we're not that clever,
especially given that redemption
is merely a dollar off,
don't listen to those imposters,
they just love to story
their hero songs of self,
and I wonder if the myth is alright,
will it hold,
will it emerge, unfold,
without a narrative it's only money,
as stories go,
is this mine,
shall I tell?


Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

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December 14, 2022 · 5:17 pm

Of Dark And Light – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Sarah is hosting Poetics with an invitation to write about bringing light into the darkness.

dVerse Poets – Poetics – St. Lucy, Bringing Light Into Darkness

“I cannot love another soul so dark it eats up others’ light.” Lauren Kate

Of Dark And Light

Light bringer,
you held your own darkness
in a neglected corner of your life
until it weighed you down to earth,
cast out yet newly found,
that ancient double of good and bad
all wrapped in monochrome,
which simply hides those
uncomfortable distinctions;
even so, your young proteges
follow your example,
some say by deceit,
others say by shine,
all the while reminding us
that we are all bearers 
of dark and light.


Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

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October 21, 2022 · 2:50 pm

Never Certain – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Image: marinetechnologynews.com

” A torpedo is adrift unless it has someplace to go.” Tim Allen

Never Certain

Do we ever make the grade,
or are we held in second place
by strategic torpedoes of meaning
moving in our direction,
always waiting for the strike,
never certain of understanding,
cowering while waiting 
for something to connect,
to make sense,
feeling confused
to the point that impact
comes as relief.


Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️

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November 8, 2021 · 3:27 pm

Something Good – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

Painting by Charles Edward Perugini (1839 – 19 18) Pandora’s Box

“Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind, the others have left and gone to Olympus.” Theognis of Megara (Greek elegiac poet)

Something Good

Sometimes life can be like a pair of stockings,
or a favourite jumper, it all looks good and fits
so well, until that one moment, a tiny, sharp
snag snares a thread and begins to pull, slowly, then
gathering pace as it goes.

But just as Pandora took the lid from her father's box
releasing curses and unpleasant things, there remains
hope within the tragedy, that something good, even 
though as yet unseen, is hidden at the bottom.


Copyright 2021 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®

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October 6, 2021 · 4:11 pm

Where Now The Sword – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Sanaa is hosting poetics with an invitation to explore the genre of panegyric poetry.

dVerse Poets – Poetics

Priam Pleading with Achilles for the Body of Hector ?engraved 1775 Gavin Hamilton 1723-1798 http://www.tate.org.uk

“I’ve seen this moment in my dreams.” Hector (Iliad – by Homer)

Where Now The Sword

Galant Hector,
even under the mantle of Achilles,
you are ever the evening star,
beyond the dark sweetness of death,
where songs regale your courage
and the gods dare drink your health,
where now the arrow, where now the
sword that could spite your flesh,
no grey for your hallowed head,
ever the memory of your youth,
your integrity in death
untrammelled by Achilles.


Copyright 2021 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®

Note: Homer's (the accepted author) poetic epic the Iliad is an a mazing piece of literature. In my view Achilles cheats and acts out of rage (grief) killing Hector, then dishonours the body until begged by Priam for the return of his son Hector's body. Hector seeks honour, mercy and justice, Achilles seeks revenge.

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August 4, 2021 · 4:31 pm

Choosing – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse Sarah is hosting poetics with an invitation to write about Persephone.

dVerse Poets – Poetics – Persephone

Image: found at scion-origin.fandom.com

“Persephone had it right. If you must go, might as well take all of spring with you.” Cathy Lin Che

Choosing

They say you traded innocence
for pomegranates, such was the
twinkle in your eye as you untied 
the umbilical cord, being very careful
to bless the shadowy scapegoat of
your choosing should you be
discovered as desiring not one, 
but the best of both worlds,
always wanting to be there, then
here, never settled, unable to be
complete unless in transit,
blaming your heart's captors
rather than admitting your fears,
seeking the sun while living in your 
own shadow for all but yourself to see.


Copyright 2021 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®

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November 25, 2020 · 2:44 pm

Sighing – a poem in pleiades form by Paul Vincent Cannon

At dVerse, Laura is hosting Poetics with an invitation to the Pleiades Form – seven lines of seven syllables, each line beginning with the first letter of the title which must be one word. dVerse Poets – Poetics – Stars That Count

Image: wallpapercave.com – Pleiades

“The Pleiades are there winking at me.” Ted Simon

Sighing

Seven being perfection,
spiritual without doubt,
sisters floating like lovers
sighing eternal yearns
stargazing dreams like voyeurs,
star dusting talis dreams of
spacious, luscious liminance.

©Paul Vincent Cannon

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October 27, 2020 · 2:31 am

The Keening – Haibun by Paul Vincent Cannon

Frank at dVerse is hosting Haibun Monday and the theme is Happy Halloween. dVerse Poets – Haibun – Happy Halloween

Photo: favim.com

“I can see lights in the distance trembling in the dark cloak of night. Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing a waltz on All Souls Night.” Lorena Mckennitt

The Keening

Moving, yet completely still within herself as night pressed in gently around her, she stopped in a felt moment and stood in what seemed a right place of heart. Her bare feet connecting the hallowed ground, she raised her arms to the stars and danced in saintly solace, this way and that. She keened for love departed, for all her loves departed. She keened for the unknown. As the stars passed her voice softened to a love song, for all the faces now present as she had re-membered them. Her eyes opened with morning warmth and a garland of dew.

Hidden beyond stars
love remembered in thinness
as lotus shines.


 ©Paul Vincent Cannon


Note: the ancient Celts always believed that the spirit world interacted in special moments in "thin" places, the place between the secular and the spirit world was thin, touchable, knowable. Most often these thin places were in groves. Celtic Christians carried this into their own theological world view.

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