The Book of Numbers

[Swing of the sea]

The Book of Numbers

Why do islands come in threes and divinities
confer in triplicate? What triameter, propelled
the “Word” and in what dialect was it heard
in human time? They’ll dig, one day
and interpret all our durable objects;
our golden calves must betray our busy lives.
Since we’ll be drawn in the Book of Numbers,
we are compelled to shake the cup and let the dice
lend speculation to our time on earth.
We are wandering spirits in unimaginable time,
to gaze at the night: Look up hominid,
what you see is what you get.

[camus]

What fresh hell is this? Just had to get that out, what a statement!

Appreciated the "Look up hominid". To be honest I've not seen that in a poem before, interactive, nice one.

I looked it up.

"what you see is what you get." Mmmmmmmmm working on that one.

Interesting poem.

[kozmikdave]

Gidday DG

I quite like this. I like numbers.

Only real worry for me was "durable objects". It kind of broke up the rhythm for me a but, but the next line more than makes up for it.

our golden calves must betray our busy lives


Good read

Cheers
Dave

[barrie]

Some nice touches within - the 'golden calves' image was inspired. I don't know about islands coming in threes, but the Muses were originally three before being multipled by three (probably that bloody Pythagoras geezer again!) The moon goddess is a Trinity, and of course, there's the Christian equivalent.

' They’ll dig, one day
and interpret all our durable objects;
our golden calves must betray our busy lives.'

I wonder what they'll find? Heavy metals and plastic bags, perhaps? Maybe a vitrified Middle East.

I think the final line lets it down -

'what you see is what you get.' - That's how Prescott used to be described by the faithful. It's too well used to deserve the last line of this. Maybe you should enlarge on 'Look up hominid'.

nice one

Barrie

[twoleftfeet]

The One precedes the thought that causes the Two - hence the Three.
That's my contribution to this idol speculation.

Nice one
Geoff

[pseud]

my take: same as Kris and barrie.

The last line did not do justice to the 11 before it.
Look up hominid/
in the thesaurus.

perhaps.

Nah, too off the cuff.

Maybe just cut that last line? Or reword it?

[Swing of the sea]

Will dump WYSIWYG. I believe if enough people think something, it's probably right. It was only there as a side swipe or more accurately an arc between apeman and computers. I'm very impressed that most recognised archaeology in there. Not the case in many forums believe me. Although I thought it was pretty obvious! The origin of the poem was when I was younger and stoned with friends, and we wondered what ape men thought the big fat moon was, in the night sky. We thought they would think:

"What the f@+#??"

and then we wondered what future diggers would think of our junk layer in the strata, and we thought they would think:

"What the f@+#??".

At which point we all collapsed in typical stoner hysterics. Ah well, happy days! (you had to be there)