Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.
Otherwise kill me.”
⁃ Louis MacNeice
from, ‘Prayer before Birth’
If I let them come, what then?
Will I not let them bend me,
Will I not let them make me kneel?
Not inside, anyway, where love
forms a stone pillar around my soul.
If I let them take me, what then?
They can bend my body, and bow
my head, and I will let them,
knowing the body is only a place
where love dwells.
If I let them bend me, what then?
They can break my body, but not
the diamond spirit I keep within me.
They can spill my tears,
they can scatter my dreams around me,
they can tear my words to shreds
and I will still hold myself other,
for the soul is wise, and the soul knows
that these things are only fragments,
and somewhere there is a whole.
If I let them kill me, what then?
I am only a dream, and dreams live on.
It is Martin Luther King Day, and Amaya at dVerse is asking us to take a quote about freedom, and make a poem out of it, as a tribute to this great man. She offers a number of quotes, and I have chosen this one by Louis MacNeice. The words of the quote are printed in bold, and the poem is built aroudn them.
Sarah writes poems 
Deeply profound and beautiful. So moving.
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great poem. Thank you, and I am fascinated by the secondary poem running through it…
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This is a most excellent… the dreams live on…
ties back to the “I have a dream” – speech. Made me also think about Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
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Great one, Bjorn.
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I had to have a dream in there. I’ve seen the Niemöller quote recently, maybe it was floating around in there.
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Very moving poem, Sarah. especially the ending.
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Nice last line about dreams.
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Stunning. Just stunning. I used the same quote, though not nearly as subtly, or well. Goodness, I love this. Especially:
“they can tear my words to shreds
and I will still hold myself other”
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And your smart separate of the words “other” and “wise.” Wish I’d thought of that. 😉
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Beautiful! I love how you bring it back to Dr. King’s dream with that last line.
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A strong and stunning write Sarah, shining with strength, spirit and determination.
I think it a masterpiece.
Anna :o]
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Beautifully written Sarah~ The call for love for humanity is evident with your response ~
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So much strength and wisdom in these words that leave me speechless. Wow.
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So pleased you chose a quote from MacNeice, Sarah, and you have a stone too! I love how you’ve explored the stone in the ‘stone pillar around my soul’ and the ‘the diamond spirit I keep within me’, and included a reference to MLK’s dream at the end..
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Beautiful.
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Thank you, Bettina. Nice to meet you.
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Yes, the nod to King’s most influential speech at the end is very moving. I like the picture you have made of your diamond core that cannot be broken no matter how much ‘they’ try. And what then of the shattered parts? They are fluid dreams that have just been freed and will follow their course.
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This is brilliantly woven into the quote with such fine imagery. I love the stone pillar around your unbreakable soul! And.. Somewhere there is a whole! Very nice.
Dwight
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Very thoughtful poem
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What a brave, nobel poem!
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Profound work here, Sarah! It reads like a clarion call for the true self! Wonderfu!
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Thank you, Frank.
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