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- Go to Sonnet 148
Words of wisdom have I none... (where does that come from? - I dunno)
posted by
Antonionioni
on February 2, 2007 at 8:37 AM
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ant-thromorphic, eh?..lol..poor little ant got put out of his quandry
...
..I thought some profound words of wisdom were coming, too..
..
posted by
Rumor
on February 1, 2007 at 8:21 AM
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Sire!
You're at it again, sire! I had to print out some of your works to master the sonnet. Now, I beleive there are Gods on earth too. :)
posted by
sailheat
on February 1, 2007 at 7:04 AM
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OK, I admit it. You made me laugh! 
Poor ant! 
MoonSpirit 
posted by
syzygy
on January 31, 2007 at 6:42 PM
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Tony.. wonderful imagination!
posted by
Blue_feathers
on January 31, 2007 at 12:29 PM
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Tony
And here I thought you were going to impart some profound wisdom to the ant when all the while it was at the mercy of your boot!
posted by
Troosha
on January 31, 2007 at 12:04 PM
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Tony- looks like you stirred up the passion of the anti-insecticide folk..
Looks like i'll have to watch where I put my foot down very carefully....thanks for your imaginative masterpiece..I shall not judge you..keep well.
posted by
shadow-pen
on January 31, 2007 at 5:28 AM
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tonyzonit
I was really drawn in to this one and then the last line was a surprise.. I'd like to think I taught my children that ants are God's creatures too, but I'm not sure it sank in judging by the way my son went after a cockroach with the insect spray this evening.
posted by
mneme
on January 31, 2007 at 4:59 AM
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Thanks for your comments, guys!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate them.
PS: MC - the questions you raise are exactly the questions I wanted to raise- thanks! As for a sequel, umm, dunno.... I may do another animal-based one at some point - although I do particularly like to use the ant as a metaphor, so the ant may appear again!
posted by
Antonionioni
on January 31, 2007 at 1:01 AM
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Tonyzonit
How bloody creative as me mum would've said.
posted by
WileyJohn
on January 30, 2007 at 9:09 PM
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LOL! What a guilty pleasure this is!
This one definitely deserves to be preserved for all time. Very clever!
posted by
Discombobulated78
on January 30, 2007 at 7:55 PM
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Tony
How clever and cute you are you boot loved it
posted by
Kat02
on January 30, 2007 at 7:30 PM
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Tony, some day if I work on it, I may be half the poet you are.
posted by
blogflogger
on January 30, 2007 at 6:48 PM
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Ant-hromorphic indeed.I felt guilty enjoying this poem what, with your boot
ending the little sibling's life. I usually allow every life to continue to the last, painful, brutal or easy breath. They all teach the onlookers something...sometimes they are able to accept the Savior or Salavation before they die (idealistically speaking, as a Christian or adapting this idea for any religion). Shalom, Neil.
posted by
ILLUMINATI8
on January 30, 2007 at 4:25 PM
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Fair enough, I take your point about the self-obsessed nature of wo-man.
but if we are made in the image of God, then which applies? the ant or the heavy boot? Both, I suppose, how much power do we really have? Your very last line is poignant, and hints at the cruelty and callousness of man. I just wonder where God fits in the picture, is God the ant, the boot, or the impassive onlooker watching the drama unfold? How much does God intervene in our lives? Is God the voice that prevents us from planting the boot? Is there death a merciful end? Who should deal the last blow? Are we playing God while God is playing watching us play at being God?
I cannot help but feel deep sadness seeping through the words, may be my own, who knows?
You must write a sequel to this---and give us some answers, if there are any.
posted by
marieclaire66
on January 30, 2007 at 3:50 PM
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MC - I appreciate your words - thank you.
The poem is a viewpoint, but that doesn't mean it is RIGHT. Nonetheless, it is a valid questioning of the situation. I may be wrong, but for instance take the viewpoint of the ignorant human who is crushed by fate. Unless one believes in the hereafter, in which all the wrongs are made right, it does appear that in the world of nature, none of us care about beings of smaller size and power than ourselves, and part of what I'm saying is that we should not assign less importance to the life of an ant than to our own lives, if we expect our Creator to do the same for us. I'm not criticising the Creator, but ourselves and our own self-obsessed nature.
posted by
Antonionioni
on January 30, 2007 at 2:50 PM
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tony, I do not share your deep cynicism....
Until you feel deep in your heart, that there is a caring God, life will seem hollow and meaningless, the world cold and uncaring. Why do you feel so dead inside??? May God breathe life into your heart for it needs to be rekindled a little? These are thoughts that are felt deep down, on the surface, you share our optimism, but there is quiet dispair brewing underneath....I feel. This is good, it will drive you quietly insane, till you hunger for God so much, you will find Him, under the layers of doubt that so plague you. I think you are not alone in this quest for meaning, you are touching the core here, and not many dare to delve that deep. Life has an absurd side no one can fathom, to a certain extent, we have to accept it, while not despairing. it is a delicate dance of hope and despair, overshadowing each other. Forgive my philosophizing and intrusion into your soul.
posted by
marieclaire66
on January 30, 2007 at 2:07 PM
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MC and Bhaskar, I am most honoured!
It is symbolic, I will say that. I don't know why, but when it comes to mankind, i always like to compare man with all his/her pretensions, to the ant. We have contempt for the ant, but to the ant, we are like a god in our size, power, and knowledge. Yet we behave as this ant would behave, in the same way, towards the idea of God or a god. We need to question why a god would behave any different than a human being behaves towards an ant. If we don't care about an ant, why should a god care about us?
posted by
Antonionioni
on January 30, 2007 at 1:39 PM
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Hi Tony and Hi Marie
‘Dear ant, my boot shall kindly end your misery!’ That's simply Brilli Ant. I was about to say more when I saw MarieClaire raise some nice thoughtful queries. So I thought I must stop. Her's are more intelligent than mine. By the way, Marie, I don't see you these days. What happened? Everything all right? If not then wish you Godspeed.
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on January 30, 2007 at 12:29 PM
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tell me something,
Is this about God? The raging thoughts of man, railing against a seemingly heartless God? Jesus always walked barefoot...I thought and they nailed him in the end. Who wore the boots?The Nazis did, but not Jesus, the ants died by the thousands, who did this? Humans, only by name, ants only by fate.
posted by
marieclaire66
on January 30, 2007 at 12:21 PM
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Wow! The mercy of the human boot... some lessons here perhaps.
Somehow, it is a powerful story, like a fable, we can draw our very own personal meaning from this, and yet it has universal appeal, a wonderful reflection on human nature.
There is a strong of power that becomes a complete illusion, depending on the standpoint. Human power and frailty very well illustrated. Please spare me, I am just a little ant, big man, put your boots away and step aside....
posted by
marieclaire66
on January 30, 2007 at 12:17 PM
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