“I contain multitudes.” –Walt Whitman
I am a man of two time periods:
That which came before
And the present.
With one eye, I can see
Everything as it once was,
While, with the other,
I see everything as it is now.
Most people may find this a source of confusion,
But I rather enjoy it,
For it offers differing perspectives
As well as provides a visual timeline
Of the changes that have taken place
Between then and now.
Somewhere deep within America’s heartland,
The farmer tills his soil,
Planting seeds for the upcoming harvest
And letting his cattle out to pasture.
Elsewhere, the whir of machinery,
Symbols of ingenuity and progress,
Bring to life the factories of the North and the Great Midwest.
Here, the workers toil all the day long,
Their bodies glistening with sweat and axel grease
Until the shrill whistle blows,
Bringing about a much-needed respite
And quitting time.
In the fabled cities of the East,
Subway cars rumble beneath the surface
While aboveground, the huddled masses go about their daily affairs
Without so much as a care in the world.
This tapestry,
This vast mosaic
Is truly a work of art,
A thing of beauty the likes of which
The world has never seen.
It is all around me,
Yet within me at the same time,
Protected and enveloped
By a blanket of stars and stripes.
© Chester Sakamoto
June 26, 2017 at 2:37 pm
What I gather from your incredible poem.
Is a timeline of 2 people being in 2 separate areas of the world and expressing themselves telepathically to one another and creating a phenomena of poetic message to the world.
All this is from what I’ve gathered. Man, you blew me away. 🙂
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June 26, 2017 at 8:13 pm
Hey, I like that interpretation! As to be expected, it’s not something that crossed my mind until now. 😛 I see what you mean: Like two strangers on opposite sides of the globe, carrying out the same message of hope and optimism while maintaining a kind of telepathic connection with one another, without ever having met. It’s like fate. I like that. As with your poems, your readings and interpretations are just as inspiring and interesting. 🙂
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June 27, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Almost like ‘Sense8’. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the series on Netflix. It’s somewhat a connectivity around the world 2 or 3 or more people coming together and helping each other out.
Definitely this poem did influence me and made me think and that’s something I look forward in any kind of writing. 🙂
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June 27, 2017 at 4:09 pm
I’ve been meaning to watch that show, dude! My friend, the one who just got married in Kentucky, he and his partner swear by it. It looks awesome, and I can’t wait to check it out. Thank you for the recommendation! 😀
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