Bogged down a bit in my reading, I thought I'd come up with a few of my favorite poems. It's not going to be a top ten list of any kind. Just a few of those poems which I remember well because at a certain point in my life they had influence and meaning to me personally. I'll start with Percy Bysshe Shelly and Ozymandias.
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
I met Ozymandias accidentally at a public meeting sitting next to me in the audience. He did have a commanding voice and arrogant sneer, particularly at the end of the meeting when he made threats and promises about the manner and substance of the meetings purpose. Appalled, I chose to ignore him for several years as he took command of the empire in which I played a small part.
Some time later as my co-workers and other community members grew increasingly unhappy and in some cases frightened, a few began to stand up. I joined them to do what I could to help.
Ozymandias is actually the ancient Greek term for Ramses II mightiest of Egypt's pharaoh's. Perhaps his broken statue residing now in the British museum may find a kindred spirit now residing (except on weekends) in Washington D.C. My hope remains the same now as when I first met that spirit those many years ago ....we shall see a decayed wreck boundless and bare whose political arrogance has come to its inevitable end :)
I met Ozymandias accidentally at a public meeting sitting next to me in the audience. He did have a commanding voice and arrogant sneer, particularly at the end of the meeting when he made threats and promises about the manner and substance of the meetings purpose. Appalled, I chose to ignore him for several years as he took command of the empire in which I played a small part.
Some time later as my co-workers and other community members grew increasingly unhappy and in some cases frightened, a few began to stand up. I joined them to do what I could to help.
Ozymandias is actually the ancient Greek term for Ramses II mightiest of Egypt's pharaoh's. Perhaps his broken statue residing now in the British museum may find a kindred spirit now residing (except on weekends) in Washington D.C. My hope remains the same now as when I first met that spirit those many years ago ....we shall see a decayed wreck boundless and bare whose political arrogance has come to its inevitable end :)
