To Be Read Aloud
To Hear What Is Not Seen
Far beyond the misty climes of L’gib T’qi’at,
in a place where demagogues hold sway,
thereon the sand is wet with festering rot & decay,
intolerances flow red upon guilty hands.
The Republic can legislate, or so they believe,
who or what people can be.
Then the sands flow red upon those who grieve
to compel on this knee worlds to bow
in reverence of ignorance.
And from the heights of L’gib T’qi’at,
where gender is free,
toward which refugees flee,
tears are shed for grace withheld.
About the Creator
Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock
Retired Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church having served for a total of 30 years in Missouri, South Dakota & Kansas.
Born in Watertown, SD on 9/26/1959. Married to Sandra Jellison-Knock on 1/24/1986. One son, Keenan, deceased.
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More stories from Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock and writers in Fiction and other communities.
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By Steven Christopher McKnight4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (14)
Magnificent 👏👏👏👏
The phonetic wordplay is incredibly clever here. Such a disappearing art these days! It's a poem to dwell on, while necessarily mumbling aloud, probably to the befuddlement of my neighbours! The following example isn't quite the same thing, but "flow red up[on]" makes me think of the far-future world of science fiction author Cordwainer Smith. There, the only old name that survived from the dim and distant past before nuclear annihilation in World War Three was the proud city of Meeya Meefla... But all joking apart, your poem is accomplished work, Randy. I love the way that besides the intricate double-meanings, you maintain a portentous tone with Old Testament resonances as you walk us through this grim realm of injustice. ("Legislator" by the way is possible, as well as "legislature," if we wanted it to get really personal!) Superb stuff, my hat is off to you!
Very powerful, Randy! Also, gorgeously written and SO CLEVER! It took me a minute to recognize "L’gib T’qi’at" but when I saw it, I was like 🤩 Bravo!
https://vocal.media/motivation/the-journey-of-perfection
Wow, this was Deep and I think maybe I found a few, but what stood out was the LGBTQ, Gender Freedom ❤️💯although I won't get too political...
Hmmm, haven't read or watched the news in a while but based on the clues you gave, I think I found 4 or 5. First, does the word republic refer to China?
Wow deep and powerful
I did feel how powerful this was. Unfortunately, I got nothing out of that 6 😅 I'm a very outdated person who’s not caught up in current events, especially political ones, even the ones in my own country 😅 But I guess one of it is gender equality? I'm so sorry Randy 🥺
This is beautifully written Randy and holds a number of messages. Well done.
Yeah, I got nothin' for ya Randy, sorry. Maybe it's cultural? L’gib T’qi’at sounds a whole lot like a place name or noun in Inuktitut to me.
FYI: There are five hidden treasures within this poem four of which are more likely to be heard than read, all of which provide reference to a particular set of stories currently in the news. One of them, a geographic area, is in here twice, making for a total of six. Your first clue is the poem itself. Can you find all six?
I love the powerful message in this poem, excellent
That is powerful and also such an intelligent way to use the name of that Place.
Your passion for justice and grace flows powefully through this poem.