Not by Wishing

[PrinceMyshkin]

Not by wishing will magic be achieved,
Nor what we give
Will equal that which we’ve received.

We travel on crooked paths, in hazy light,
Convinced that we’re on highways, bright
And straight. By losing our way,

We finally get home. We say
The meanest things at times instead
Of the love we mean to say. That word

Is difficult for us.
But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.

[blp]

But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.

and done, crucially as a poster called AshleyMare pointed out here, http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18162&page=10

[PrinceMyshkin]

and done, crucially as a poster called AshleyMare pointed out here, http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18162&page=10

Many thanks for the reference, blp, which I looked up and read with interest as well as your response to it. There is the problem, however, both in my poem and in the post you refer to, that "love" is a whole more difficult to define than, say, rutabaga!

[blp]

There is the problem, however, both in my poem and in the post you refer to, that "love" is a whole more difficult to define than, say, rutabaga!

Absolutely. But like other words that are similarly difficult, 'nature' say, it gets used all the time as if it's easy and we all know what it is. That's why I made such a big deal about Cassavetes in that thread. He said his film were all about love, but they're about as far from romantic as it's possible to be - and not just because they show characters in great emotional difficulty, but also because they brilliantly depict states of near total ambiguity.

[Virgil]

Not by wishing will magic be achieved,
Nor what we give
Will equal that which we’ve received.

We travel on crooked paths, in hazy light,
Convinced that we’re on highways, bright
And straight. By losing our way,

We finally get home. We say
The meanest things at times instead
Of the love we mean to say. That word

Is difficult for us.
But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.



Outstanding Prince!! I love the rhyme scheme. I love the tone. I love the rhythm. I love the aphorismic nature of the entire piece. I love it all. I take it you heard that. :p

[PrinceMyshkin]

Outstanding Prince!! I love the rhyme scheme. I love the tone. I love the rhythm. I love the aphorismic nature of the entire piece. I love it all. I take it you heard that. :p

Actually, I did hear that, but coming across it again as I scanned my subscription list, it was as if I were being forcefed a great big bowl of happiness.

[hoope]

Not by wishing will magic be achieved,
Nor what we give
Will equal that which we’ve received.

We travel on crooked paths, in hazy light,
Convinced that we’re on highways, bright
And straight. By losing our way,

We finally get home. We say
The meanest things at times instead
Of the love we mean to say. That word

Is difficult for us.
But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.



WOW .. THAT IS MARVELOUS.. .. its so great.. !
loved readin it..
thx alot Prince 4 sharin it

[Silas Thorne]

I think the way you've connected these stanzas together is marvellous, appearing so free in placing words without wasting them:

..We travel on crooked paths, in hazy light,
Convinced that we’re on highways, bright
And straight. By losing our way,

We finally get home. We say
The meanest things at times instead
Of the love we mean to say. That word

Is difficult for us.
But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Hoope & Thorne (sounds like an old-established law firm!), thanks to both of you.

[SleepyWitch]

wow. I love the last two lines. The first stanza sounds a bit like Shaky, but not in an annoying, stilted sort of way. More in a "hang on, I've got to read that again" sort of way.
I can soooo relate to this line: "We say
The meanest things at times instead
Of the love we mean to say"

[~Sophia~]

That word

Is difficult for us.
But love is not what’s said,
But what’s both said and heard.



I loved this part in particular. It's true of every kind of love. Man/woman, friend/friend, parent/child. Our words are everything. Beautifully written!

[a_little_wisp]

Brilliant, beautiful. You're a sage, Prince.