this is gorgeous and can be felt in several ways
and I opt for the beauty of daring to be different
as this visual offers with richness in your awesome
and beautiful word selections
and the sheer beauty of how this person must feel
to be outside the box of conformity

Dare To Be Rare
Vickie

The whole poem is amazing but that second verse is pregnant with truth.

JUDE ...

PERHAPS 'CACOPHONY' VS. 'THE SOUND OF SILENCE'?

OR MAYBE: "ONE MAN'S CUP OF TEA IS ANOTHER'S ... POISON"?

LOOKING AT ALL 'LITERATURE', FOR ALL THE 'AGES' ...
RELATIVELY 'FEW' EVER REACH TRUE ACCOLADES ...
THE GREATER MAJORITY OF ALL WRITERS ...
SELDOM REACH THE PINNACLES OF 'SUCCESS' ...
I.E. ... NOTORIETY ... FAME ... MONEY ... $$$ ...

MOST ... THE 'MIDDLE GROUND' ARE MIRED IN 'MEDIOCRITY' ...

SOME 'MUSES' ... AMUSE ...
OTHERS ............ BEMUSE ...
STILL OTHERS ... CONFUSE ... ABC'S MAYBE?

YET ... WE WRITE ... BECAUSE WE ... MUST !!!

SO SAYETH THE SOOTHSAYERS! PEACE ... TOM ...

To me this speaks of trying to communicate to one who does not listen, "just the continuous monotone of what is said" as you sit reciting and nothing is heard. Although I do like what Morgan Merriweather said (laughing) been there done that.

Often times we skew what reality really is to fit ourselves, I have known many who do.

Lovely

Love and Light
Lily

you must work in the same company i do, go to the same meetings. Fun stuff. excellent!

I think we all have a tendency to skew reason and reality to fit our own designs. The trick is though to be able to accept and listen when the voice of truth overides our tendencies.
fee

self reflections can be direct and triggers to deeper perspectives.

The perfect description of a politician. Patrick

Let me begin by repeating what a very wise person once said to me. "Never judge another by your own capabilities or you will be constantly disappointed." Different is not necessarily wrong and perspective is always a factor in everything in life. We really don't know what resonates in the soul or gut of another and why they appear to be the way that they are. How many times have we each heard someone say..."Well, once you get to know them, they are very different from the person you are perceiving"? Of course, I am not making any judgement calls here,Jude, since I have not walked that mile in your sandals, but this poem rattled me because I do believe that I am too critical of the people around me and too quick to judge or completely write people off...your words struck a nerve with me, I am afraid. I do understand what you are saying, and I do know that feeling of so many people being nothing more than a cardboard image of the person they believe themselves to be. Stimulating offering, thanks for the "bitch slap." I appreciate Ron's candor, as always, but I will say that I admire anyone who has the guts to put their words out here where others can judge them. For many, writing is a release and whether it is good stuff or not (in my personal opinion), it usually is at least a point of view and I try to appreciate that. And Ed M., no matter the subject, you always manage to bring a grin to my face.
Take care,
Sherry

Quite powerful, Jude.

Agree to Vivian...well written.. :)best wishes,neerja

Echos of "mad as hell, and not going
to take it anymore", but not to forget
still choices to listen or mute...*jude*

Lady Vivian

I like what Ron Hull said as this seems to describe my writes, even to myself, hell especially to myself of late...e

...a damning indictment, deftly delivered... Swift himself would savor the satirical edge to this searing salvo aimed squarely at the solipsism of so many versifiers... but (and here I add my own plea for understanding - nay acceptance - of mediocrity, which has its place in the pantheon - by ending with a cliche in the form of a question): Are you really just being 'cruel to be kind, in the right measure?'

After all, the stars may be misaligned, but they are still stars...

[spoken with no regard at all for the reticence of my own idea]

This one holds a good, strong tobacco like a buffalo head meerschaum pipe should! White buffalo calf woman said she would return. Her words are true. Your and my ancestors echoed their version of these words through the timeless canyons in a previous century where their concert hall was the open air home of the buffalo in attendance and everyone upon the land and everything upon the land heard the thundering hooves align the plains with a steady rhythm that beats still in our DNA. Listen, hear the drums aligned to the sun dial painted on the petroglyph. "Skewed" is a prophecy and it is heard! Applause, standing next to Kate!

s

Simply eloquence in jade of metronome emotions.
Excellent Jude.

Lady Mary Ann

Hey Jude,
One can read so much into this poem. I felt as if someone has disappointed you and you are tired of the same old song and dance routine.
Sounds to me like you need a symphonic lift, a song to make your heart soar and feel alive again. Reverberating signals that it's time to start over and do what is best for your heart and soul.
One step at a time, my friend, one step at a time.

Take your dancing dreams, become grounded in positivity and move on up to that place where your heart is alive and feeling mighty fine.

Peace, light and love,
Amber

Off-kilter, we certainly need a balance in life, great work, masterful~

LOL Ron! :)) Touche! Love the honesty! This makes me very sad, Kartero; the empty, damp symphony hall that must be an anathema to the life and soul of musicians and their precious instruments with whom and through whom they have their life and being. Moisture, low depression, is the enemy of such - and to the heart and voice also of song, making it so easy to sing off-key. Deaf ears are therefore a Godsend in such instances! But this write is as keenly felt as shattering glass and shrill with intention. A brilliant metaphor articulating what is seemingly always a poor-show performance. Applause for this will definitely be heard! xx

You are not in that category but it describes the mundane of most of the so-called poets here. Deafingly dull. it is only occasionally that I encounter something with spark in it.

Ron

You are directing a deafining symphony... Bless ya!

Hah! Hope this isn't a response to what I posted today, but it very well could have been.

As usual, dynamite wordplay, Jude. This is just damn good.