I can relate to this wonderful poem and last two lines I think are especially beautiful Robert.
Best wishes always
from your fan
Kay

Filled with the emotion of change. Changing the nature of a thing seems at times the only way to constitute a lasting change. Here I catch the sense of a man being elated that a trying season has come to an end, but still somewhat apprehensive of what the next cycle holds. Thanks for the synaptic stimulation, Jude; keep pressing forward ... r

everything exists within the view, even in a microdot!

Back to the "beginning" but more consolidated, more focussed down on that pin-prick of light. Love the idea of tunnelling, mining - as if for gold or diamonds, only for that which is infinitely more precious and everlasting - truth, light and our eternal being or state. We are constantly driven by our thirst for light and real life and, at times of "luxury", we enter into the wide and spacious place and see it reflected in all things around us and we browse from it there at leisure: this I feel is the "collective" of which you speak here. But, at times of insecurity, Nelson Mandela postulated that we are more afraid of our own individual light than we are of our own particular darkness, and it comes to something and a mark of our own spiritual maturity when we are comfortable and easy in accepting it; that's what I take from your mention of the "verve of individual spirit" here. But beyond the personal journeying, when the gates of night close in universally, there is nowhere to go but down... but even there the essence of light cannot be extinguished and, even if it starts out as only a microdot, as eyes accustom themselves to the gloom that microdot quickly intensifies and illuminates. Throughout man's dark days of history, we have never been left without that microdot of hope and a way through, up and out... Stars may be elusive and a bloody long way away, but they are, neverthelss, there and are real. Keep burrowing, Rabbit JF! A nice wormhole write. xx

Hope seems to be enough to see us through most things. Great poem, Jude.
Sheila

stirring work!

I appreciate the thought-inciting philosophical point of view that you have shared via your verses here, Jude. Thank you. Love and peace to you,

Regis

A microdot of hope is the beginning to the sky of no limit~

that claustraphobic feeling, there's no- way- out, do anything for that glimpse, or hope you'd do anything for that glimpse.....cool poem. Morgan

jude, we must never throw the shovel aside! -- it is the never say die attitude that has made a defining difference when mankind has sunken to new depths in the past -- the "microdot of light" can fill the inspirational pots of millions -- I bid you love and peace my dear friend -- Jon Michael

VEry well done Jude, I like the line about the microdot of hope, just the idea that we can always look and find that microdot is comforting.
fee

Let's hope that is light ahead in the tunnel. No recycled words here.

Ron

Maybe we are going to disappear in 2012..
it could be a classier alternative to
the ugly road we're taking now

Stay strong, Jude,

John

Gosh, for some reason this reminds me of family and work friends who were held captive in the war.
Forget the films, what they did was even more incredible.
Dot, hell, stars and of course tunnels, so many tunnels.
I know I'm off the mark, but i'll never understand why poland did not fight back. We were in the worse position, yet I guess we had one thing going for us, that the rest of Europe do not have. The never say die, Brit grit and determination to beat off evil no matter the cost.

Metaphorically it is a similar situation, with one big difference! There are no great leaders, it is sheep following sheep.

What scares me is there is a powerful leader and all one needs do is put, RAS before his name.

Someone must be of the ilk to fight in such a way. Within and keeping us from self destruction. Blair seems to be the only guy not that Mandella has lost the plot. Where are the American great leaders?

It seems that life is a series of expansions and contractions where vision and focus are concerned. There are times when we look at the dreams we have held in high esteem and see that none have come to fruition and then there are times when, wonder of wonders, all of life seems to take its rightful position within the path we have chosen. We are always where we are supposed to be, no matter how out of sorts things may appear to us at the time. Life is a series of changes and what once seemed so upside-down will appear to right itself once again.
Take care,
Sherry

Digging through pitch-black tunnels searching for the light - sounds like the plight of many, today.

Jude,

Many contradictions in this well mastered poem. The best that I can make out, (because as always this is a very deep poem) I can feel a ray of hope by the end of this write...Microdot of hope, is in itself very miniscule, but however still held tight. We all must go through our darkest times before the light shines with more hope than not. The Verve of the individual spirit is indeed a strong force in the cosmic journey of life. Full circles happen and the light does go on and one achieves great wisdom to carry them forward once again on another circle to complete. It is always about beginning, middles, and endings. It is exciting to come full circle in a personal journey, because growth is inevitable.

As always your poetry is thought provoking and profound.



I wish you much peace, light and love,

Amber

Okay, Jerry's got it, now explain it to me...;-) e

Soothing the beasts that live within us just before they attack and draw blood is something we all try to do at one time or another.

"and the verve of individual spirit

i have strangely returned
to digging
through pitch-black tunnels"

I understand completely, Jude. Great poetry.