They Play Games with the Poets
Orpheus Resurfaces
Orpheus Resurfaces
Why does it take so many years
To close a wound
Which was opened in a day?
Must there be fresh wounds?
Must I always be suffering,
Hurting to heal,
Never really healing?
I did it all wrong…
But I did it for the right reasons.
This is who I am now.
There is no turning back.
Time to sing my song.
***** * *****
They Play Games with the Poets
They play games with the poets
And lose, every time,
Cuz they don’t understand
The mystery of rhyme:
How it can be BROKEN,
Reassembled,
Unaffected,
Yet ready to burst
With inviolate meaning,
Like a pouncing tiger
Or a sudden storm,
A bolt of lightning
That shatters the norm.
***** * *****
“I told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been!”
-The Charlie Daniels Band, The Devil Went Down to Georgia
***** * *****
Rommentary:
When I was a travelling sound technician, I had the good fortune of running monitors for The Charlie Daniels Band several times. They were a staple of the fair and festival circuits as well as playing with the biggest names in country and country rock on the biggest stages.
To the man, they seemed wonderful people. I could have been at a family barbecue, they were so damn nice, and artists like that were always a welcome departure from the prima donnas and self-important attention-seekers.
The Devil Went Down to Georgia is one of my favorite songs. I love stories about deals with the devil, from Faust to folk tales, and this modern American take is reminiscent of an Irish tradition where the protagonist gives the devil the slip and maybe even a piece of his or her mind.
As to what the song has to do with the poems above, I leave that to each reader as a point for meditation and contemplation, if they so choose; but if you just like a good song, a good turn of phrase, or a funny Claymation chicken, that’s okay too.
Here's a cool live version of Charlie and company performing the original:
About the Creator
C. Rommial Butler
C. Rommial Butler is a writer, musician and philosopher from Indianapolis, IN. His works can be found online through multiple streaming services and booksellers.
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Comments (7)
Doing all the wrong things for the right reasons is what mostly got me into trouble, lol.
Wonderful Charles. I like the way you put this together. I especially enjoyed the poem.
The poet writes from a deep place of emotion, even the devil must concede to that power. The word skill brings power and release for the poet and comfort and warning to the reader. Great poem, wonderful song
Hades got the best of Orpheus just as the Devil got the best of Dr Faustus and in general humans who challenged the gods got the shitty end of the stick. Charlie is a wonderful old school country fiddler, so he may have been an exception. Even Robert Johnson, who claimed to have sold his soul to the devil, lived a short life. Loved the poem. For me, Orpheus is the most tragic of the figures from the Greek mythic tradition. You capture that sense of hopelessness in your poems.
Ohhh I love ❤️ this. Excellent reference to Orpheus
Great story and damn fine song. Staple of our growing up.
I believe it is all in the interpretation. Good work.