Sunday, September 23, 2012

CCCLXXXI - The Open Gate

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I don't normally do composite prompts but this one fell into place.
Imaginary Garden with Real Toads had the prompt: 'Fences'.
dVerse had the prompt: 'The Unexpected'.


The Open Gate

There is comfort in a fence
That keeps the world at bay;
Your inner realm is well corralled
In a safe, unchanging way.

We all create our fences
Both the mental and the physical,
To protect our mind and matter
From intruders and the quizzical.

But are we just like those dogs
Who yap in territorial defense –
Only to stop dead in their tracks
When there’s an opening in the fence?

What would you do if you found
An opening in your wall?
What if what was out there
Was not so bad at all?
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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32 comments:

  1. Very true, J Cosmo. Sometimes I wonder what exactly we are protecting ourselves from. We may be missing a lot of good things by fencing ourselves off. Nice to see you at Real Toads as well as dVerse!

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  2. I feel safe with fences...but do you know that where I am, there are hardly any fences? then I realize that the whole community (and country) is actually one big fence. If there is an opening, I will be curious to see what's on the other side ~

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  3. A beautiful ode to opening your heart and mind to life's possibilities, a recurring theme in your work at present it seems.

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  4. i think this def hits on our perceptions versus reality and the whole reasoning behind those fences in the first place...our protection can easily become our cage...

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  5. Ah yes, and, we never know unless we go through them, do we?
    Sometimes we humans can make our fences our prisons too. I wish my dog would stop baring if he sees an open gate...lol

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  6. Fencing can be more for setting boundaries in the outlying areas but for security reasons in the urban areas. Generally this is the picture that I see!.So there are particular and peculiar reasons. Nice write Cosmo!

    Hank

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  7. I really liked the sing song nature of this one....the last stanza reminded me of the good Dr. (Suess). You are in good company with comparison. The tone was appropriate for the concepts you tackle, and elevated the voice to another level. Thanks for posting to a Toads challenge and Viva la

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  8. Ah. This reminds me of E.B. White and Wilbur getting out of the barnyard, and the nervousness of it all. We are not so certain we want that kind of freedom! Well-expressed. k.

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  9. This was awesome :D I love what you wrote, the lyrical tone the thoughts you shared~ Well Done

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  10. Replies
    1. It's a picket fence - should that be 'grate'? ;-) Thanks.

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  11. As a person who fences herself in and peers out through the openings this hit home. Thank you. I think.

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  12. yep...sometimes it's def. worth re-thinking the fences we built and may tear some of them down..

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  13. We do have a tendency to fence out the unexpected in our lives - to our own disservice half the time. Nice to see your work linked to a toads prompt.

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  14. Ah, my dear, the 'what if's' of life ... brill

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  15. I have been outside the fence.. disappointing...stay inside the picket fence with a good red, a cute cuddlepuss and write good love poems keeping all your female fans purring:)

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  16. "What would you do if you found
    An opening in your wall?
    What if what was out there
    Was not so bad at all?" - An interesting question here ... loved the poem :-)

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  17. Nicely put. Often our lives have separate compartments like a submarine -- sealed off from each other. Safe, dry -- to stay afloat. But if we look around, the water is not as deep as we think. And our craft need not be made of dense metal.

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  18. But first you have to know that you have a fence!

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  19. Brilliant writing as always dear J Cosmo, fences are a good idea but we don't want to shut out the world completely and become a prisoner of our own fears.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  20. Love it! I want more than a fence around me, though! I want a huge, high wall!

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  21. You blow my mind! This is excellent. I suppose we all have our walls. Maybe some need the walls to protect the world from themselves.

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  22. I always understood that a fence was what you took when someone insulted you.

    Sometimes I think that fences are good things for me, insofar as they keep me from being unleashed on the world. Can you imagine a Bear running amok on the main street of town? Surely you see my point.

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  23. This is seriously thought provoking!! and quite nice ...

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  24. Well written and thought provoking! I enjoyed it!

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  25. ...the unexpected invitation. Really, a lovely write.

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  26. oh yes, something to ponder... indeed.

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  27. Having designed many a fence as a garden designer, I understand the desire to define space. So fences, physical, metaphorical, personal, define our spaces. Fences are not walls. They are permeable and allow for interaction between their two sides. They can be functional, decorative, forbidding, whimsical... I like that our personal fences are flexible and allow in what we desire while keeping out what we do not ...

    xxx

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  28. Good question! We must always make sure we're keeping the bad stuff out but not forgoing the good as well, or confusing the two- i.e. not giving something a chance because of previous experiences or wrong paradigms.

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  29. Should you be let out at all?

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  30. Deft but deep. Nicely done.

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  31. Great poem. As my dog says, You've got to live your life as if someone left the gate open!

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