Phantasmagorical Echoes
By AC
Dear people of this planet,
Kings, Queens, Citizens,
of this lonely, stone-skipping on universe waters,
of this cozy blue pebble that we choose to call earth.
I want to tell you that Today we exist;
That Today, we walk on a path
forged by the blood of preceding ancestors;
That Today, we are more pleasantly carried
in the arms of our history and the shoulders of time.
I want to tell you that great women and men
have sacrificed their precious existence
just for us to be here, at this crossroads of sorts,
at this place where we stand.
The time to honor our parents has come.
The Torch has been passed down to us,
and its fire still burns.
Today we find ourselves in the midst of a beautiful moment,
where we can bring true change and reform.
Today we need the long-silenced sounds from our past
to be spoken and heard;
The voices of our forebearers’ bones, scattered across the desert,
speak their truths to a listening sky
as the clouds carry their inaudible words in the wind;
Roots, sing their sweet lullabies to their family trees,
Soft, lovely melodies reaching every branch, every leaf;
Waves of blue oceans bring peace to the souls
of those who found a new resting place
while on the everlasting quest to find Home.
Today we must know who we are
and where we come from.
We need to understand the depth of our heart
and the power it holds;
The power to experience empathy, compassion, and love;
The power to know the true meaning inside our sweat, tears, and blood.
Today we need to remember
what makes humans humane;
We need to remember what makes us equal,
regardless of creed, ethnicity, gender, or race.
We share this planet, this moment,
this air, just the same.
Do not fall victim to the ideology or the wicked
telling you we are different from each other,
and all of us different from the rest of the world.
Let us all be different together, united,
imperfectly perfect and beautifully flawed,
phantasmagorical echoes fighting fights that, sadly,
silhouettes of historical ghosts already have fought.
But still, we must fight.
We owe it to the next generations to hand them a place
that is better than the place we received;
A place with no room for discrimination or hate;
A place that can give the goddesses
that live among men
the equality, the safety, and the trust
they so truly deserve;
Let’s hand the new generation a place
where the definition of Justice
derives from the word Just,
even for those who swore to Protect, and to Serve.
We need to keep marching ahead and
hand down the Torch.
We will not be stopped;
Just like you can cut all the flowers,
but you cannot stop spring from coming.
Human progress will always find a way to keep going;
We can never be stopped.
About this poem: I tried to bring together the ideas that: those who came before us began the fights we continue to fight today; our ancestors suffered for us to be right here, right now; united we stand; there is so much more we can do; and we must do it for the next generation of this world. Hope it’s okay, and as always, I do wish you -reader- enjoy the reading of this as much as I enjoyed the writing.
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AC, I really enjoyed reading this. It is the story of roots, of imagination, and possibilities. You brought together a world that we forget about sometimes, a universe that exists between our own, above our own. “Imperfectly perfect,” bravo in being able to put together so many concepts and ideas. Your ideas are poignant and strong, “but still we must fight.” Fight on my friend
AC, very well put into perceptive piece. I agree with your view points, fantastic way of understanding. Keep it up!
Dear AC,
Nice poem and flow. It is a interesting topic to write about. Keep up the good work. I can read this all day.
The beginning was an amazing hook, I loved the way you drew in the audience by addressing us directly. Your language is very strong throughout the entire poem, which causes the impact of the poem to be stronger. I especially resonated with the line “The Torch has been passed down to us, and its fire still burns.” This was very well written, reminding the audience that we must continue on for our ancestors and that there is still something to carry on, no matter what. I also enjoyed the line “Just like you can cut all the flowers, but you cannot stop spring from coming”. Although someone may have hurt and killed your ancestors, they cannot stop you from carrying on and accomplishing your goals. The themes of family, ancestors, struggle, and unity were strong and clear. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, great work!
Your words are very powerful. I particularly liked the way you used figurative language and really allowed me to see what you wrote about. The persistence of your message is strong, I know your torch will keep burning and I will be an ear in the “listening sky.” You are heard and you matter. Thank you for sharing with me and the world.
This poem is truly incredible, I did not want it to end. This poem gives such a powerful message and such an important lesson. I wish all youth and young adults would read this in school, it would empower so many to focus on leaving this world better than we found it. This poem made me visualize all different parts of history, and compare it to where we are today. In a time like now, it is so important for us to stand together and look out for one another, and “understand the depth of our hearts,”. This is really an impressive poem, you should certainly continue your poetry.
This was really inspiring. It conveys so much emotion, so much understanding, and so much foresight into how things are going and are. To hearken back, to understand the struggles, trials, and tribulations of those that came before us is to honor their sacrifice and to continue the good fight for all those that come after us even if it be by different means than before. To leave a better path and a better future for those that come after us is the most important things that we as people can do. You have a gift in writing continue to use it.
Dear AC
Such a powerful piece of work. Nice flow and beautiful structure. I truly enjoyed reading this and related to it very much. Please keep working at it. It is very strong and powerful. I love the work. I truly hope you keep going.
Hello AC, thank you for sharing the very important message of fighting for a better future through your poem “Phantasmagorical Echoes.” I appreciate how you made us think about how we were handed a torch from our previous generation and how it is our duty to pass that torch to the next generation. Your poem was very well crafted, and eye opening. I enjoyed reading every part of it. When you said, “I want to tell you that great women and men have sacrificed their precious existence just for us to be here, at this crossroads of sorts, at this place where we stand.” It hit me hard, and it made me appreciate where I am right now and how far I have come. Then you said, “We need to keep marching ahead and hand down the Torch.” and it made me feel inspired and prepared to fight for the future I want. I especially enjoyed that you described earth as a “stone skipping on universe waters” and a “cozy blue pebble.” because it is a unique way of describing the earth.
This poem is AMAZING! I definitely agree with your idea those who came before us began the fights we continue to fight today. This message is very powerful. I hope you continue to write poems because you are a great writer. 🙂
I got the sense from reading this that you really enjoyed writing this. Your passion shines through every word! I agree that we live in the legacy of the battles fought by those who came before us. I think it’s important to respect our elders and learn from them because, like you said, we continue their fight long after they’re gone. I also really like how inspiring this poem is. Like, yes, let’s leave the world a better place for the next generation so maybe they won’t have to fight the same fight we’ve been fighting since the dawn of this country.
This is a beautiful poem and makes me realize how grateful I should be for everything that is around me as it is made possible by people before me. So often we are caught in the negativity that we forget to appreciate the hard work and see how far things have come. The world has changed so much in even the past year and advancements have been made that continue to make life better for the future and those of the future and it is important to always be looking for improvement. It is because of others in the past wanting better that we have what we have today and I agree that we need to continue to pass on big new things to the next generation.
This poem has a message that feels especially topical in today’s society, but is also applicable to the past and will almost certainly be important for future generations. I feel that we have a duty to try and do better when we have so many atrocities that have occurred in our past. There is no excuse for us to look at both the positive and negative examples set forth by the past and not learn from them, lest we be doomed to repeat history and this poem perfectly encapsulates my sentiments.
The torch analogy is truly captivating! It’s also true, every generation passes down the torch that is already burning and walks away expecting us to put it out! This is a very popular topic in my Sociology of Social Problems because it’s an issue that keeps repeating. As you said in the poem, I also do hope we can band together, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and creed, to solve the issues of the world! Thank you for the inspiring words and keep fighting!
Wow, this is absolutely incredible. This poem truly speaks volumes to the way that our world is and the ways that we can work together to leave it better than we found it. While acknowledging that our world is not perfect, you maintain a hopeful perspective towards change which brings an whole new level of power to your words. As someone who has been struggling with their outlook on the world recently, this poem truly meant a lot to me. I am going to move forward with hope and positivity toward creating the change that is necessary for the success of our world and the future generations that will be residing in it. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful thoughts in the form of art.