Image by ChatGPT
It initially refused to provided one as it 'didn't comply with content policy.'
The Sunday Whirl presents twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece.
This weeks words are a pretty bleak lot:
past, climate, water, trudge, sludge, sodden, despite, despot, rise, demise, few, inner
"Nobis solis culpa est."
(The fault is ours alone.)
They trudge,
Trudge through sodden fields,
Trudge through sludge filled ditches,
Searching for water, food, shelter.
Anything really. They trudge because they must.
Children, crying, cling to their mothers.
The men carry the load, the inner one as well.
There is a permanent climate of fear,
There are predators, man and beast, in the shadows.
A rag-tag, rag covered, rag and bone army
Through bleak, grey ruins, they trudge on.
The demise of their past dreams, past lands,
The wretched, stinking skeletons of a despot’s ego.
Few challenged his rise, most praised it,
Despite the obvious warning signs
They cheered his rise, ignored his words.
Where are they now? Vanished. Silent.
Do they regret? Do they too trudge?
Probably.
◊
The title is a riff off "Non Nobis, Domine"
Where god is give credit for glorious victories.
That's quite a powerful and haunting piece. You've painted a vivid picture of desperation and survival in a bleak world. It's clear that the prompt words inspired some strong emotions in you.
ReplyDeleteThey did that. Thank you.
DeleteYour poem is very powerful! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt masterfully weaves together the Sunday Whirl's 12 words, which naturally lean toward heavier emotions, creating a haunting narrative of human suffering. The title, "Nobis solis culpa est," places responsibility on society, emphasising that this suffering was preventable. It suggests collective guilt for allowing the despot to rise unchecked.
Yet even in this darkness, your words offer hope - the act of trudging, driven by necessity (“they trudge because they must”), becomes a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It’s a primal, instinctual drive to survive. The poem doesn’t offer a vision of a better future, but it suggests that even in the face of utter devastation, the will to live persists.
Hey, J. Cosmo, the sun is shining:
No despot’s rule can chain the heart,
Or tear inner light apart.
For even in the world’s demise,
Love endures, and courage flies.
No matter how bleak the situation may seem, the human spirit is capable of enduring and overcoming. Even in the darkest of times, love and courage will prevail.
Yes, the sun is shining. At times I feel cheated that it is so.
DeleteYour poem evokes all the recent visuals of the Gaza survivors walking back to the North... "few challenged his rise" - yes, sadly.
ReplyDeleteYour comment has made me see this poem in a new light. Thanks!
DeleteYour poem certainly evokes the bleakness and despair we see far too much of at present.
ReplyDeleteGood use of bleak words.
ReplyDeletePK
(Sara) Yes, i wonder how many are hiding in the shadows.
DeleteThey weren't easy words to write in one sense but in another they drew out the writing by their own force of direction.
Delete[I love putting two years of high school Latin to good use] yes, the words were dark .. however you used them brilliantly, into present day 'war-torn countries' reality.
ReplyDeleteIn vino veritas.
DeleteThe AI image is a perfect match for this dark poem. Nicely written.
ReplyDeleteThank you I have learned to love the creativity of AI and I am no longer scouring the internet for a vaguely suitable image.
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