The wheel turns. This heavy wheel
that we keep pushing.
Our shoulders bruise and burn,
the strong muscles
in our thighs, our bellies, ache,
but we keep pushing.
Somebody falls beside us,
someone is crushed,
but still we push.
Sometimes, some chancer
scrambles to the top,
pulls up a friend or two,
tells us the view is great.
Sometimes he stays there
for a while,
until he slips and tumbles.
We just push.
The wheel is old. Chips in the paintwork
tell us that it’s been blue,
and red, and gold.
So many colours,
so many designs,
scratched out, or faded,
painted over. It’s been ugly,
it’s been beautiful.
On we push.
The track is steep.
The sharp stones cut our feet,
dust fills our lungs.
It’s hard to look away,
but over there the grass
is green, and stretches down
to a slow flowing river,
and there the woodlands
offer shade and fruit
and the deer watch us,
wondering, but we can’t stop.
We push.
Merril is hosting dVerse poetics, and asks us to write about revolution – in any form – political, celestial, whatever.
Your opening lines reminded me of Sisyphus and that wretched boulder, Sarah. I felt the pain in the lines:
‘Our shoulders bruise and burn,
the strong muscles
in our thighs, our bellies, ache’
and cursed the chancer who
‘scrambles to the top,
pulls up a friend or two,
tells us the view is great.’
I have the green grass, slow flowing river, woodlands and even deer, but I still feel like I’m pushing that wheel most days.
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Amazing poem with a deep message to keep pushing through no matter what!
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I too thought immediately of Sisyphus. And Beckett. We repeat ourselves endlessly. (K)
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Oh my! This was wonderful, Sarah! Yes, that age-old push to change, to create–and keep the revolution’s momentum going, time after time. Thank you!
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Yes, my first thoughts went to Sisyphus as well. That’s such great and vibrant imagery. This poem itself embodies the prompt nicely, and I would consider this to be a revolutionary piece as well. It delineates the concept of humanity continuing to move on. There can be no stop, there can be only going forward despite the setbacks it can create. So many layers to this piece to fully appreciate. Excellent take on the prompt, I really enjoyed reading it!
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you captured resilience so well!! vivid images!
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You gave “push” a tougher meaning.
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