Rock And Roll

Entry by: Junie D

15th January 2019

Falling Rock

An old man sits ranting

The world is full of madness, masquerading as normal
what is normal?
the ability to appear upright whilst falling, I believe

Here, the manual

Being a rock prevents you from falling, but when you start to fall
you cannot cling to yourself. Should you try, you only fall faster.

It is the fate of the falling rock.

Really, it is inside that we die first, he says, spittle dribbling down his undershirt
then the rest follows - slowly, determinedly

Death resides in my heart, he thumps his chest
it is the nearness of it that comforts me
at peace in solitude
remote
and a rock
I hurt no one
but everyone gets a shot at me
I unroll myself at the feet of the careless

the careless, he cries; the worldâ€™s loss of love, care, respect!
it is that which pains me
thus when I am alone I am at peace

Solitude I choose; I choose willingly
and revel in it
it gives me freedom, independence
from reliance on fulfilment from others
who are incapable
and of those there are many

(derisively) The hollow reeds

Now choose, do choose. He looks me straight in the eye

hollow reed or falling rock?

Marker 1

What I liked about this piece: Good imagery, strong sense of character - both man and viewer.
Favourite sentence: I unroll myself at the feet of the careless
Feedback: Interesting ideas, well presented.

Marker 2

What I liked about this piece: The experience, the conclusions reached, of age.
Favourite sentence: it is the nearness of it that comforts me
Feedback: I interpreted this as the outlook of an old man, scarred but no longer scared of the lifetime of quietly tolerating the constant battle against the incapabilities of others. Tired now, he finds peace in solitude and no longers fears - perhaps looks forward to - death. But meanwhile, how to approach life? Whinging at it's little hardships or taking them with strength and immovability . . . until they finally tip one over the edge. It took me a couple of reads to get into this and I hope I interpreted it correctly. If so, it is a deep and revealing window into the soul - and perhaps a sobering glimpse into the future for those still young and strong.

Marker 3

What I liked about this piece: Some of the lines are terribly poignant, â€˜Really, it is inside that we die firstâ€™. The immediacy and involvement of the poem with the reader by its form is also very interesting.
Favourite sentence: Solitude I choose....it gives me freedom
Feedback: I liked this poem. The way it involves the reader is great by initiating us into the meeting with the old man. The haggard wisdom of being along being preferable to suffering through life is also very well told. It does take a few read through to get the full message of the poem, and although the stream of consciousness style suits the story of the poem, Iâ€™d prefer more structure personally.