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
at

34 comments:

  1. RuthJune 21, 2011 at 5:12 AM

    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!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JJ Roa RodriguezJune 21, 2011 at 5:35 AM

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

    JJRod'z

    ReplyDelete
  3. kelvin s.m.June 21, 2011 at 5:52 AM

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

    Good day.

    ~Kelvin

    ReplyDelete
  4. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  5. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    thankyou jj! steven

    ReplyDelete
  6. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 7:24 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  7. jabblogJune 21, 2011 at 8:18 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  8. SGJune 21, 2011 at 9:04 AM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJune 21, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Weaver of GrassJune 21, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    Clever words around the theme Steven.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lucy WestenraJune 21, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Very interesting theme and variations.

    ReplyDelete
  12. ellen abbottJune 21, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    I live on the edge.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Reya MellickerJune 21, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    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!

    ReplyDelete
  14. R. Burnett BakerJune 21, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  15. KayJune 21, 2011 at 3:09 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  16. FrikoJune 21, 2011 at 6:08 PM

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

    A nice riff.

    ReplyDelete
  17. hopeJune 21, 2011 at 6:27 PM

    This was thought provoking AND fun. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:03 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  19. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  20. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:05 PM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  21. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:05 PM

    ahhh weaver - thanks! steven

    ReplyDelete
  22. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    lucy westenra. thankyou. i aim to unpack. steven

    ReplyDelete
  23. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    ellen - i see you there. steven

    ReplyDelete
  24. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:06 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  25. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    very true rick and thankyou for your kind comment. steven

    ReplyDelete
  26. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:08 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  27. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    friko - playful and serious and unpacking the possibilities. steven

    ReplyDelete
  28. stevenJune 21, 2011 at 9:09 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  29. HelenJune 21, 2011 at 11:33 PM

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

    Fascinating ~ your poem!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Steve IsaakJune 22, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    Clever redundancies.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Tess KincaidJune 22, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  32. SuzJune 23, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    very interesting poem magpie
    rambling sauntering
    falling down lines of wonder

    ReplyDelete
  33. AnonymousJune 23, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  34. AnonymousJune 27, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    love the playfulness.


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

    bless you.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.