Shadows Reinterpreted #tanka

Image Credit: © Sally Cronin

Stuck in my own trap
Towering walls block the view
I can hear the sea
Doesn’t the flotsam of life
Prove there is more beyond me?

***

OK, if you don’t understand the title, look up Plato’s allegory of the cave. But more than just the cave allegory, I was thinking of this quote by Plato (a conclusion of the same story): “Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.”

***

Written for Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge. This week was a photo challenge. The photo at the top of the page is by Sally Cronin. I wrote a tanka this time, and I’m sure I was one of the few this week to base my tanka on a quote by Plato ;)

24 thoughts on “Shadows Reinterpreted #tanka”

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FineTest August 21, 2020 at 8:25 am

Yep, not every day I see a poem based on Plato…

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trentpmcd Post authorAugust 21, 2020 at 8:26 am

lol, nope, not every day….

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Marsha July 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm

Wow, Trent It’s amazing how different our responses are. What a thoughtful one. I feel like the Plato quote is for me. So amazing and timeless.

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 29, 2020 at 5:47 pm

Thanks! And as to Plato, yes, a lot of ideas were timeless, which is why his name is still so big more than 2000 years after he was alive :)

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1. Marsha July 29, 2020 at 7:23 pm
  
  It is amazing that one’s ideas could last so long.
  
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  1. trentpmcd Post authorJuly 30, 2020 at 6:41 am
    
    Yes, it is. But then, humans are still humans, so…
    
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merrildsmith July 25, 2020 at 6:20 pm

Much to think about in a few words.

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 25, 2020 at 8:27 pm

Thanks. I really like these short forms for that reason

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judeitakali July 22, 2020 at 6:46 am

Wow, such an amazing tanka, deep and unique

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 22, 2020 at 7:19 am

Thanks.

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Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. July 22, 2020 at 3:32 am

Fabulous response Trent…and that quote by Plato has never been more true…

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 22, 2020 at 7:14 am

Thanks. More than ever people seem to be hunkering down in the barricades of their culture.

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RuthScribbles July 21, 2020 at 11:22 pm

Beautiful

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 22, 2020 at 7:06 am

Thanks!

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Colleen M. Chesebro July 21, 2020 at 5:50 pm

Trent, this tanka is excellent! I love the phrase “flotsam of life.” The Plato quote is about as fitting for our times as ever. Bravo! Well done.

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 21, 2020 at 7:19 pm

Thanks, Colleen. yes, very fitting for our times!

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willowdot21 July 21, 2020 at 12:08 pm

I think we were thinking along similar lines Trent 🙂

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trentpmcd Post authorJuly 21, 2020 at 3:51 pm

As they say, great minds.. I’ll stop over in a few minutes and take a look at what you came up with :)

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1. willowdot21 July 21, 2020 at 4:28 pm
  
  Thank you , great minds think alike, and my mum always added and fools rarely differ 😁😁
  
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  1. trentpmcd Post authorJuly 21, 2020 at 4:33 pm
    
    lol, a wise mom
    
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    1. willowdot21 July 21, 2020 at 5:29 pm
      
      She was 💜
      
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