“The Emperor’s Bridge”

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https://openclipart.org
https://openclipart.org

So it’s April Fools Day. I was thinking what to post today; preferably something silly and comical, no? Perhaps some e-cards, but they’re all over the Internet anyway. And I’m not in the mood to play along. Not finding any kinds of lies or joking lies or jokes about lies funny at the moment, as you may have noticed from today’s haiku. Thankfully, here’s a beautiful poem to lift up my mood. Rich imagery. Lots of interpretations possible, I think. Though it is (spoiler alert!) actually quite sad in the end, good writing always makes me happier. Hopefully it will make you happy, too. 

As I had mentioned in a previous post, Canadian musician and poet Christijan Robert Broerse said he’d send me some of his artistic brainchildren. This is one of them. There is more to come, to be sure. You can call this a teaser for a longer post featuring his work. Thanks, Christijan, for easing my sorrows with yours. 

The Emperor’s Bridge, by Christijan Robert Broerse

Stranded, I began to build a bridge across the sea.

Men came with tools and time to conquer waves and put my heart at ease.

In the night, jealous gods, their angry ghosts rode in, and
burned my beautiful bridge.
the world shook, screams and galloping fire.

on the shoreline, stars, this final, quiet night;
corpses of beams, pyres on the sand
a silhouette of stone collapsing into the sea.

an ember of my intentions,
vast and yet small,

I watch as it floats down, expiring in my palm.

A Global Studies doctoral degree holder and former newspaper reporter, avid eater, pseudo-philosopher and poet, occasion-propelled singer, semi-professional socializer, movie addict, Brazilian-American nomad. In this space, she will share some of her experiences and (mis)adventures regarding various topics, with special attention to social issues.

Poetry and prose
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