Nobody Knows – 11th March 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen

“Why does Spring once again offer its green clothes?”*
A break from the darkness, sprung from where nobody knows

Clinging to warmth on those dark winter nights
Hiding under covers as daylight dallies. Nobody knows

where the world is heading, these paths to be unmuddied
Always turning, the coming and going. Nobody knows

when the lights will turn off, green concedes to the dark again
Again, again – why the black dog barks, nobody knows

These clouds shower down a ridiculous rain
As I long for the green, now gone where nobody knows

*From Pablo Neruda’s ‘Book of Questions’
Shared with dVerse Meeting The Bar, a ghazal somewhat meeting the criteria!
31st Jul 2024 – Submitted to Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty bright and positive.  

My lower back is sore from sitting in the cinema for three hours and this morning a bit of tooth, or porcelain (I don’t know what is mine anymore) broke off whilst eating yoghurt and has left it very sensitive.  

I have an appointment on Thursday anyway so hopefully I can hold on until then.

Today I’m grateful for:

The positive feedback that I’m getting on some of my poetry.  I’m also grateful to have found many prompt pages and ideas around poetry forms which I’m enjoying trying out.

The best thing about today was:

Watching a group of various students, some of whom I knew, bonding together as there are few students around this week.  They were bonding by playing truth or dare and a drinking game, though with an assortment of soft drinks, of course.

Still, it is obvious to me where that idea will lead.  What can I say, that’s what we all did at that age.  You live and learn, hopefully without anything untoward happening.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

It was a little annoying that all my first class turned up in the classroom this morning which meant I had to stay around for a while and babysit them, though I took time to visit the other classrooms too.  

All of them were lazily playing on their phones or making up their own ideas of fun.  

I managed to get out about 30 minutes early at least.

Something I learned today?

Britain mocked France and Egypt when they were building the Suez Canal until they realised what a benefit it was for them to be able to get to India two months quicker than previously, in case there was another uprising there.

When Egypt soon came unstuck and wanted to sell its share in the canal, Britain eagerly snapped it up.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I offered some emotional support to Praew who has become slightly isolated in her class recently. 

Also to Kwang who told me that her mum, who is in Bangkok somewhere, has blocked her phone calls.  I don’t think there is any animosity in it but it must suck to know that your mum is too occupied with other things to take your calls.

I took the motorbike for a little ride, sticking in some petrol and charging up the battery a little for Amy as she wanted to go to the market tonight but hasn’t been able to use the bike since it needing to be kick-started on its back stand. She’s too little to pull the bike up onto it though I reckon she could if she really needed to.

What is one thing I want to learn more about?

I’m watching a video about RipX DAW and reminded that I still need to learn more about using a DAW, particularly the one I already paid for (Ableton Live – which has been so long since I tried it that I had to look up what it was called!) and bought a midi keyboard to use with it.  

I’m really interested to do it but can see that it involves a lot of time investment that I don’t really have enough of at the moment.

Sarah took this picture of Ozone because she stole my phone out of my pocket as Praewa dragged me off to dance on the other side of the room. As she filled up my phone with pictures I only found three worth saving at the end of the day.

23 thoughts on “Nobody Knows – 11th March 2024”

  2. this was a difficult prompt for me. But I rolled up my inhibition and reworked an old poem to fit the form. Who knows if I managed anything close. (Nobody knows)

    you, on the other hand, have my admiration For this stellar poem. I think you nailed it. But don’t take me as an authority on Ghazals. I love the rhythm of what I heard here. And love the “nobody knows” repetition. So good.

    I will give it another go privately. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. 🙏 Thank you.

      The unmuddied phrase came to me as here in Thailand I wait for the countryside dirt roads to turn back to summer dust after the rainy season, enabling me to get back on my motorbike again and go exploring (and only get dusty instead of muddy). 

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you. 🙏

      I’d forgotten about the echo component (beyond the refrain), though maybe it was subconsciously still sitting up in my brain. I used it to show the world is always turning, and the winter, darkness, depression comes around again.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. 🙏 Thank you. Perhaps it is part of my negative ego. When the inspiration is ‘spring’, I automatically default to ‘winter’! In day to day my negativity is well contained but I think those ideas are more inspirational. And more recently I have been able to write with more positivity.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Let me know your thoughts