Sunday, December 22, 2013

Sparked off by Milan Kundera

“ What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.”-

Milan Kundera

Vertigo is fear of desire to fall 
in wild abandon of everything held sacred
from an acquired stature restrictively tall. 

How steely should be courage for losing it all 
on the path to freedom that's thorny and crooked?
Vertigo is fear of desire to fall. 

Denied of simplicity that dispels the pall 
cast by facades o'er the soul cause want to be rid 
of an acquired stature restrictively tall. 

Yet indignity of having to creep and crawl 
in lowly disgrace can only inspire dread. 
Vertigo is fear of desire to fall. 

What mysterious power compels to heed the call
which promises escape from that prison like stead, 
from an acquired stature restrictively tall? 

Whether or not to plunge, seeking moment's enthrall 
as joy can evaporate to sorrow instead. 
Vertigo is fear of desire to fall 
from an acquired stature restrictively tall. 


12 comments:

  1. Very thought-provoking, Madhumakhi!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Madhumakhi,

    Nice to find you here today...
    Your poem carrries a message of striving to be strong and to maintain one's dignity and pride. To try and achieve what is desired, without falling down, or having to lessen standards etc...

    Best wishes, Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nicely structured....and haunting...

    ReplyDelete
  4. the message rings through out this poem... well done...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the refrain of the vertigo ~ I sometimes fear this is happening to me ~ Good one ~

    ReplyDelete
  6. liked the blog title :)
    enjoy the festive season ahead..

    just passing by

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really liked the way you repeat the refrain at different stages of the poem. This got me thinking...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the villanelle with its stays that hold the poem upright as if it were afraid to fall but allow it to loop and spin to a satisfying whole. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is always nice to find a fellow Kundera fan . . . I'm sure he would feel complimented by your quotation.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, the power of fear and how hard it is at times to push right through it. You captured the fear brilliantly.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The relentless effort to achieve and to avoid falling down is inherent. But vertigo is a natural fault that must not be tested to happen. Nicely penned Madhumakhi!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  12. a challenging and interesting pen. I like how the rhyme scheme supports the theme ~

    ReplyDelete