07 October 2015

About Arms


'Right Shoulder, Arm, and Hand' by Thomas Eakins.JPG


If you disarm
will you be arm less
and have to feed yourselves
with a fork between your toes?
Will you be broke then, broken, bashed
and battered beyond recognition with
the rest of the poor under-employed?
If you disarm, will you be disarming?
or will you have lost your ability
to charm and hoodwink,
look powerful and
wield images
both arms
circling
in air?



Posted at Poets United Poetry Pantry #273
The photo is "Right Shoulder, Arm, and Hand" by Thomas Eakins, 1880, photo by Wmpearl 


Copyright © 2015  S.L.Chast



18 comments:

  1. What a thought provoking 'diamond' poem! Love your playing with 'disarm'. Sure, peace and love!

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  2. I think this is very clever.. I think I can accept being disarmed in one way but not in other.

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  3. Quite a bomb dropped in shape, thought and rhetoric, amazing poem!
    Have a nice Sunday Susan
    Much love...

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  4. I would say this is quite a commentary on the political arena. There is a lot of hoodwinking going on, neither charming nor disarming.

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  5. I especially like, "If you disarm, will you be disarming?" I so wish every nation was disarming, Hope would do a happy dance!

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  6. This is such a strong & thought provoking piece..!
    Beautifully executed!

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  7. I have always been charmed to be disarmed by pretty faces. However being so that makes me vulnerable to their wiles. There is so much more in your poem, a darker side, recognition perhaps that you cannot have an upper class making money without the underdogs struggling to survive and worse. Sadly we think like individuals and are happy so long as we are not them.

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  8. Strong picture poetry and I wonder if you disarm will you be armless? That is a strong image..

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  9. That's very meaningful wordplay...

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  10. love your title and play on arms / disarming....peace on earth...an amazing poem...

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  11. Wonderful form to this and such clever, meaningful word play...hayes Spencer is Kanzensakura

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  12. A witty (but not funny) expression of a very serious question!

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  13. wonderful play of words! much to ponder.
    loved this shape poem. :)

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  14. This made me stop and think..
    Well done!

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  15. A clever poem - in a different way I can empathise with the threat of loss of limb - frankly another way can always be found as the mind tends to be stronger than the limits of the body - which indeed your poem so wonderfully suggests

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  16. Wonderful word play and makes a whole lot of sense,

    Elizabeth

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  17. love the outline of the poem and the idea.

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