The Power of Three

by Monty Milne

A magical orb; this palace praised as Earth.
Sprinkled with blue oceans,
sailing rivers, and floating ponds.
Crawling thick, green jungles;
sifting bronze sand dunes;
rainbow flavored woods; crusted rock terrain.
Cumulus clouds hitchhike
with the mobile wind.
Sweet pollens, angular seeds, and fluffy dust
travel together as companions.
Hot and cold air-pockets merge and fornicate,
showering a thirsty land.
Structures of ice reflect the warm
orange sun as it splashes the sky azure.
A delicate flake with unique, singular identity
becomes one with a blanket of snow.
The padded footprints of a sleek bobcat
break a trail over cold rocks where
silent rattlesnakes coil in hibernation.
A brown nest of twigs and withered grass
house the feathered hawk and its young.
The fetor of chattering hyenas dances
with the breeze around the striped design
of a grazing zebra.
Brown bears rest in a dim cave
of granite after a diet of blueberries.
Rainbow trout swim in the clear water
of a creek layered with alga, larva, and tadpoles.
A small woodpecker’s tapping keeps time with
the distant caw of a black crow,
as the stringy whistle of crickets
rises from tender stalks of lavender-green grass.
Nature’s symphony is attended by gray wolves,
bullfrogs, morning glories, and mature pine trees.
Moonbeams waltz and serenade the starlight
inside the natural amphitheater of a
mountain range.
A sleeping valley waits for the scent of dawn.
The coming of the lion and
his aureole mane of golden fur
is screeched, howled, chirped,
pawed, splashed, and brayed throughout
the hierarchical kingdom of wilderness.
An anaconda and monkey square-off
on a mound of dirt and clay containing
the fossilized bones of an Australopithecus,
as a brilliant illumination rises peacefully
from the depths of the new horizon.

The birth of humankind many millenniums ago
turned a single-dimensioned,
instinctive Earth into a multi-faceted World
of evolving thought.
Exploration of terrain and habitat
was undertaken not solely for survival
needs like hunting and gathering,
but also to satisfy a curiosity that was
as queer, prodigious, and powerful as
the encompassing environment.
Progression of communication, shelter,
tools of rock and bone,
and gregarious bonding resulted from
pursuing the process of trial and error;
a cornerstone of society and culture.
The unknown became fuel that
speculation fed upon;
Thought forged Idea;
building blocks that were placed,
maneuvered, and re-positioned to formulate
a coherent message or technique.

Knowledge was established by a
careful procedure of remembering.
Libraries in the cranium were created
from stories, tales, rites, and passages.
Each spoken sentence a page or paragraph;
oral novels of compiled anecdotes;
volumes filled shelf upon shelf
in the soft mass of gray matter.
The communal Librarian held
the high post of wiseman, griot, shaman,
prophet, or priest.
A historian, judge, and politician;
the storyteller, visionary, and poet.
Welcome to the ceremony, and
the birth of the supernatural.

A prehistoric cave painting of a birdman;
his staff crowned with a beak and wings to
capture the spirit of the animal.
A legend is chanted in monotone by
a wrinkled, gaunt, aging clan leader.
It floats into the ears of a titillated
and attentive boy with wide, staring eyes.
He sees his past and imagines his future.
Large menhirs arranged in a circular
formation stand immobile on an
open, windy plain;
the inhabitants wishing to harvest the sun’s
piercing, golden light and blessed warmth.
Spotted leopard hide and necklaces of
white teeth cover the prancing witchdoctor.
He methodically dances a ring around
a young female virgin ornamented in
delicate, tan feathers;
stretching his soul for success in the hunt.

Ideology mixed with
the invention of written language
to build a monument called Civilization.
Sun-baked tablets of clay impressed
with the wedge-markings of cruciform;
symbols of sounds recorded on the
grainy finish of hard, ancient scrolls.
Hammurabi’s Codes of Conduct
was a distant set of laws.
These blueprints of government
set unprecedented standards
of behavior for a flourishing community.
Denizens of the Fertile Crescent
shared common understandings that conformed actions
to link individuals together like a chain;
instructions that dictated degrees of
fairness and properness to the people.
Gilgamesh traveled with gods on his search
for the secret of immortality;
an epic that elevated spirituality
from myth to religion;
a holy book containing the idea
that there is some force more powerful,
judgmental, and intelligent than humanity.
It questioned the worth and purpose
of mortal life.
Imhotep brought his vision
together in the shape of the pyramid;
as artistic and aesthetic as it was practical;
equal sections supporting and contributing
to the stability of the whole.

Time expands and people seek discovery;
the right to know;
a deep desire to express individualism.
The utilization of reason uncovers answers.
Doctrines and dogmas place limitations on knowledge,
but the strong forgo such barriers
in their quest for the truth;
those whose creative insight
leads them on an uncharted course
to stake claim in new frontiers of development.
Accomplishments meet suppression
in the dry strangleholds
of martyrdom, exile, incarceration, and committal.
Classical conventions are shattered when a
courageous individual dares to
take reality a step further;
one who crosses the boundary line
and sees how boundless life is;
a seeker who bends the rules,
dodges the laws, and is willing to
risk ostracization to find
satisfactory answers to forbidden questions.

Plato proposed the early Greek
idea of three souls:
Nutritive, holding a nourishing substance
of golden grace and civilized behavior;
a human is merely an Animal of raw,
simple, and sanguineous instinct;
the rational mind computes the real
and imagined to arrive at meaningful ideation.
The Ego, Super Ego, and Id sprang forth
from the psychoanalytical mind of Freud.
The conscious allows calculations, idioms,
hypothesis’, and methods to flower;
a ghostly network of neutral, tinted grays
prowl the corridors of the sub-conscious;
the forces that propel life to be active
reside in the Id.
Arthur Rimbaud became a seer by an
amazing and logical disorganizing of all the senses.
He penned a notion of remaining absolutely modern;
living in the present while concurrently
learning and growing with the proliferating era.
The past is seen in memories and recorded
events, results, and occurrences;
to be studied, understood, then built upon.
Unknown destiny waits in the near or distant future;
an abstraction that will become real
if the hunger and motivation is strong enough.
Eastern thought celebrates harmony with
a placid balance between
the body, the mind, and the spirit.
A vehicle to maneuver the physical being
from place to place;
the powerful castle of intellect where
interpersonal relationships and self-examinations live;
pure energy unalterable and invincible
against onslaughts from external pressure.
Diverse, divine triunes of connected ideas
coat the seven continents of the globe.
Three types of human mentality
filled with as much animalism
as they are welcomed to godhood.

Art

Art is the sensory outpouring of
emotions into physical likeness’
of these sensations.
Expressions of the Artist’s most
heartfelt passions and intimate sentiments.
The Artist reaches out to convey a message
that must be shared with the world,
whether it is unrestrained bliss or gloomy depression.
One who learns about and gives something to the world,
confronts anxieties, understands
what brings pleasure, rejoices in discovery,
frowns on an attempt that did not
meet certain expectations, and tries to
unravel the mysteries of life.
The production of creativity is a
constant, lifelong process of refining artistry;
the loyalty felt to artistic essence
that persuades the Artist to stick to personal convictions.
Shortly before his death, Michelangelo
expressed with regret that he had only
begun to learn the alphabet of his craft.
Jim Morrison tested the bounds of reality
because he was curious to see what would happen.
Emily Dickinson lived in obscurity while
writing her letter to the world.
Perhaps the most beautiful artwork
in the cosmos is the human form;
this physiological and psychological
existence that has the ability
to daub paint on canvas, sing joyously
like the first poets, write prose when
inspiration settles, and sculpt
anatomy in motion and stone.
Muscle, bone, tissue, and a freeway of nerves
form the machine;
motor skills serve as a transport system;
creative juices ebb and flow from the
brain to delicate fingertips and
callused soles of dancing feet.

Religion

Religion helps quell
the confusion associated with human mortality
and the purpose of life;
a longing for belief in an acceptable plane
of existence after physical life ends;
a method to boost morale and an
excuse to curse insecurities.
The responsibility of human action is
pitted against the hands of wishful thinking;
a focal point to bond around and
form an atmosphere of social oneness.
The Prophet wears the diadem
and is filled
with the word of a Supreme Being.
Jesus preached the word of the Lord and
died for the sins of the world.
Allah sent his message to Mohammed
in hallucinations and dreams.
Brahman is an eternal power that
is ever-present and infinitely wise and
fills the caste system with Atman.
Guatama was enlightened under a pepal tree
and awoke as the Buddha.
Absolute detachment from worldly ties
and temptations will lead to extreme goodness
and complete understanding of the Truth.
All that transpires on land, sea, and air
is done for these Almightys and the
betterment of the theology.
Faith is nourishment for strength;
the strong whose healing presence
touches the lives of those who
would otherwise be untouchable.
Mother Teresa and her devotion
to aiding the sick and needy;
Mahatma Gandhi preached religious
tolerance among all nations;
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. felt it was the
God-given right of all people to live equally and free.
The Prophet strives to attain orthodox perfection.
Sermons are delivered from the pulpit
that are intended to enrich
the souls of disciples, reveal the
superhuman powers of worship,
and open the doors to paradise.

Government

Government stimulates legal, social,
and economical practices to provide maximum
benefits to the represented institution.
The selected or conceived ideology
is the nucleus of an organism that
maintains preservation by replenishing its
monetary system, being industrially productive,
inducing intense patriotism among its subjects,
and balancing the scales of legal amendments.
The Official projects ideas
to constituents and forms a Committee;
one who is outspoken and spreads propaganda
to win votes of confidence from loyal
followers and heighten publicity for
the party or movement.
George Washington rejected kingship
in favor of presiding over a land
ruled by the people;
Karl Marx considered a transition
from state and social institutions
to a form of radical individualism;
Mussolini sought to direct the public
and the system in all endeavors;
Plato designed his Republic so all
inhabitants had their place of farmer,
craftsman, soldier, or leader in the community.
The Official is expected to rebuff
dissention from opposition and regulate order;
one who is in charge of maintenancing the
engine that runs the society.
The Official must tend to diplomatic affairs,
pass judgement on acceptable standards
of conduct, soothe internal squabbles
and external conflicts, mastermind the balance
between justice and unjustice, and carefully
pilot philosophies into communal harmony.

The Power of Three

The Power of Three.
Art, Religion, Government.
The triangle of sovereignty.
Hot, mesmerizing red.
Soft, shy yellow.
Bold, electrifying blue.
Primary colors awash
in a simple world.
Black and white
tint, darken,
highlight, and shine.
Tones of Creation
running, dancing,
blending, mating,
dripping, and meshing
onto the people palette;
wildlife’s canvas;
nature’s pigments.
Secondary colors
rebound and reflect
a bittersweet union.
Art dresses in
personable, euphoric green.
Religion parades around in
forgiving, majestic orange.
Government wears
courteous, protective purple.
Together they spin
a global color wheel
scattering cheerful hues
into the cool winds.
Manganese brown, music notes,
laws, terra cotta, copper red,
scriptures, prose, regulations,
amaranth pink, azo-orange,
cannons, documents,
sunflower yellow, jade,
murals, pirouettes,
woad, and regal purple
fertilize a living rainbow
of unlimited spectrum
that drapes the
four corners of the globe.

Hope

I.

Your innards vibrate
and shake with
warmth.
Feel the racing heart
beat hotter and
harder with
excitement.
Respiratory action quickens;
fleet pulse;
adrenaline rush.
You smell success.
The scent is
maddeningly sweet.
It tastes pure
and genuine,
like fresh water
from a natural spring.

II.

Hope drives you
to seek merriment,
reward, treasure,
security, and fulfillment;
the motivational factor
that generates energy
to promote
action and re-action.
A bright, white
soft light shines
atop your soul.
It glows like
a bronze lantern;
charting the course
to the next achievement,
victory, or scene
in the drama of life.

III.

You hope to get that blue/white collar/
laborer/thinker job so sweet beef and
mushy, cooked carrots will cover your
chipped ceramic plate at the dinner table.
You wish the blonde you drunkenly slipped
your phone number to at the bar would
call and ask about your interests.
You pray the publisher will buy
your book and help promote your literary career.
You wonder if your team won the game last
night so you can collect on the twenty dollar bet.
You hope to unearth the true meaning of your life.
You will be thankful if you prevail in your
tasks, duties, and endeavors.
With strong personal faith and a clear head,
you will achieve the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Fear

I.

A lurking chill
crawls over you like
frost.
The nipping cold
nauseates and sinks
you into
depression.
The senses are heightened;
nervous quivers;
paranoid mannerisms.
You see failure.
It looks grotesque
and oppressive.
It sounds malicious
and hungry,
like a rabid animal
maniacally hunting
fresh prey.

II.

Fear pummels you
with insecurity,
unmirthfulness, displeasure,
loneliness, and anxiety.
Stimulation occurs
to produce movement
away from the pain.
Dark, black
pawprints claw up from
the depths of your soul.
Something growls like
a merciless beast,
disrupting the equilibrium
of your mortal contentment.

III.

You shuffle in fear to the unemployment line,
knowing there will only be cold broth
the rest of the week.
You forgot to wear a condom
and one inebriated night you acquired AIDS.
For the sixth time this year,
your painting was rejected for an art show.
You curse yourself for squandering all your money
in the slot machines and on blackjack tables.
Your life is in shambles and your existence
is a waste of breath and effort.
Defeat tastes like bitter vinegar,
it smells like days-old carrion,
and feels like a third-degree burn.
You are smothering from mind-cracking
pressure, and question your values and virtues
as you sink heavily and quickly
into your personal entombment.

Challenge

Challenge encountered every day.
Valiant beings do not sway.
A problem chased;
until erased.
Confront the nagging doubts.
Shake-off bouts
of identity crisis;
feel the entitled bliss.
Love was lost,
cheaply double-crossed.
Fight the pangs;
break the fangs.
Pursue a braver, new caress;
fill blackened emptiness.
Clasp unbounded joy;
create instead of destroy.
Drowning in a moat;
face the sour note.
A symphonic bridge composed;
floodgates are closed.
A test of will;
warm against chill.
Positive vibes to savor;
negative impulses find disfavor.
You must confront a mistake or lie.
Truthfulness is the rule of gold;
defeatists speak falsely and succumb to the bold.
You are in charge of your own fate.
Only hard work will bring what is deserved;
make the most of the life you are served.
Trust is a guarded friend and tool.
A companion willing to walk by your side;
serving as a healer and a guide.
Patience and understanding lead to compassion.
Living tranquilly with all kinds of folk;
Mercy casts-off the restraining choke.
Valor applauds and champions the brave.
Those that plow-on through thick or thin;
nothing discourages the urge to win.

Threat

Threat hovers ominously.
People fall cowardly.
Worrisome conflict;
senses shocked and kicked.
Cowering in grief;
foul omen of disbelief.
Entropy squeaks and bite;
savage, clubbing smites.
Passionless romance;
feeble, empty trance.
Hearts of stone;
frightened and alone.
Icy hugs with no feeling;
intimacy whipped and keeling.
Mingle with dread;
paralyzed and unfed.
Encounter peril in flight;
wings garroted tight.
Wrong key of sound;
dive-bombing to the ground.
Whirlpool tailspin;
altitude getting thin.
The light sinks dim;
slowly giving-up the swim.
Your deceptive ways are pointless.
Feel your stomach churn in acidic guilt;
wrecking the honor you crafted and built.
A dejected attitude burdens you down.
Stepping aside from incoming responsibilities;
crunching you down on your weak, little knees.
Disreputable actions close down production.
A phantom that haunts your every step;
you are tired and lazy and lose your pep.
A quick temper and ignorance lead to loathing.
Leading a life that is sinfully ruthless;
unforgiven and headlocked in a chaotic mess.
Cowardliness will insist on admitting defeat.
Ready to bail-out when it gets too hot;
eagerly quitting to shrivel and rot.

Alive

We seek to be sheltered in
Good.
We run from the harsh hurricane of
Bad.
Our human spirit will lead us to
Salvation.
The human monsters are sucked to
Damnation.
We baste in the happy glory of
Success.
We waste in the sad woes of
Failure.
Our lives become charged with
Excitement.
We lose favor when hassled by
Depression.
Our hearts dream gently from the
Soft Light.
They resist the nightmare of
the Tiger.
We wish to fly free like an
Angel.
We struggle against destruction from
Demons.
Will we live in the fresh cosmos of
Love?
Will we die in the chaotic decay of
Hate?

The Poet’s Vision

So here I am in time and space.
A Creator…
A King…
A God…
of my own destiny;
personal existentialism.
My fate rests
in my great hands.
I will take responsibility
for my actions.
My development as a human being
is only earned through
hard work and noble effort.
Each day I will
push life to the limits,
until the moment
I am transformed.
Only then will I understand
what it is
so many people blindly worship.
I will not partake
in spiritual fatalism.
I can not bow down and praise
any god commanding me
to kill and destroy
in its name or
adhere to a preplanned lifestyle
that prohibits the exploration
of my own spiritual beliefs.
How wonderful it would be
to bring all beliefs
together into one
peaceful, humanitarian thought.
I will gladly tolerate anyone
who is willing
to return the favor.
I prefer to live
in a state of controlled anarchy
with a golden rule:
I live as I please,
do not interfere
with other people’s lives,
and honor and expect
the same in return.
A body that governs also suppresses.
What one person or small minority
has any right
to outline how
the vast majority of common people
should behave and express themselves?
I will not be enslaved into
any system that allows only the
authoritative views to be judged proper.
I seek unrestrained freedom.
Most people can not even comprehend
that they are not,
nor ever will be,
truly free.
I am not completely free…yet.
However, I realize I am more free than many
because of the strength and determination
of my spirit and vision.
I am not a rebel.
I have no desire to revolt against,
battle, and topple
existing authority of any kind.
This would lead me to
a position of power
I struggled to overcome.
I believe in individual revolution.
I only desire to detach myself
from existing authority and
the urge to control and dominate other people.
With this system of willpower
I will achieve true freedom and independence.
Reason is my guide and imagination my tool.
Calculated, logical thinking can shape
a dream into a realistic vision.
I possess magic inside my mind.
I rationally study an impossible problem
and let my imagination expand.
My learned knowledge uncovers
previously unknown possibilities
and forms a conclusive solution.
Arts to the universe;
welcome to the dawn of a new reality.


Purchase this book or others by Monty Milne


Visual Art by Monty Milne