Tuesday, June 21, 2011

the sides of you


the sides
of inside
and outside
of this side
and that side
are you more reflective of your mother's side
or your father's side?
not that i'm
taking sides
i mean,
whose side
are you or i on anyway?

perhaps this is your good side
and that is your bad side

maybe you walk on
the dark side
the wild side


perhaps you live on
the other side . . .

or maybe it's as simple as
you live on
the other side of the tracks . . .

no matter
because i'm on your side
and i will stand by your side
(keeping my side of the bargain)
even
as i learn about sides of you
i didn't know existed


visual prompt provided by tess of willow manor

34 comments:

Ruth said...

It's quite interesting where this image took us through your questions of sides. I've heard that especially in the early days of film, many of the stars refused to be filmed on their 'bad' side. It became problematic when two stars had to face one another in conversation or a kiss, if their 'bad' sides did not complement each other!

JJ Roa Rodriguez said...

i love it... with all the questions all throughout the poem, yet you end it up positively. love it...

JJRod'z

kelvin s.m. said...

...so many sides to fill... so little self for the world.. adorable.

Good day.

~Kelvin

steven said...

ruth - i've heard that of film stars throughout movie history although nowadays i imagine its possible to digitally wash out any disagreeable features. steven

steven said...

thankyou jj! steven

steven said...

kelvin - all those sides leave little room for self. a good insight. steven

jabblog said...

What an ingenious response to the prompt. I thoroughly enjoyed it:-)

SG said...

Very interesting thought. The two sides of my face are not exactly similar, though I still can't decide which is good and which is bad. I feel it represents two different aspects of my nature.

Anonymous said...

Our good sides and our bad sides, our dark sides, our wild sides, I call them my nasty bits. We all have them. The bits that we prefer not exist and yet to deny those bits gives them so much power. Better to see those sides. Love this.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Clever words around the theme Steven.

Lucy Westenra said...

Very interesting theme and variations.

ellen abbott said...

I live on the edge.

Reya Mellicker said...

Inside and outside I am both exactly like both parents, yet completely different.

I'm not trying to be clever - it happens to be true!

R. Burnett Baker said...

We don't really think much about "sides" until we try to define specifics with each other it seems. This was fun and insightful all at once!

Rick

Kay said...

being a gemini i know all about the two sides....we will never give in to each other!!

Friko said...

the subject definitely has two sides which you brought out beautifully.

A nice riff.

hope said...

This was thought provoking AND fun. :)

steven said...

hello jabblog, thankyou. it was fun and intriguing to take apart the stories behind the face. steven

steven said...

hello sg, i think most people have that assymetry about their physical self and that this extends into the beginning of their sense of themselves. steven

steven said...

hi lilith - we acquire, dvelop, refine sides for different circumstances. to know them and then to own them is the beginning of any real self-work. then to let them all go for the sham they are. steven

steven said...

ahhh weaver - thanks! steven

steven said...

lucy westenra. thankyou. i aim to unpack. steven

steven said...

ellen - i see you there. steven

steven said...

reya- can you hear your parents talking with you or about you inside your own conversations? steven

steven said...

very true rick and thankyou for your kind comment. steven

steven said...

kay i've often wondered of there's a third party develops in geminis, something that rises above the binary self. steven

steven said...

friko - playful and serious and unpacking the possibilities. steven

steven said...

hope - i'm glad! it's what i try for when apprropriate. steven

Helen said...

Looking closely at each side of the photo .. I'm struck by the fact they could almost be two different women.

Fascinating ~ your poem!

Steve Isaak said...

Clever redundancies.

Tess Kincaid said...

I was quite taken with the juxtaposition of the two sides of her face. Exciting to see you picked up on it, as well. Charming write, Steven.

Suz said...

very interesting poem magpie
rambling sauntering
falling down lines of wonder

Anonymous said...

I love that you split the image it really changed my perspective, she actually looks quite different one each side which does make you think about contradictions of personality. Very intriguing poem

Anonymous said...

love the playfulness.


share 1 to 3 poems with poetry potluck week 41 today.

bless you.