The month of August has arrived, and I’m moving along on my quest to post a blog daily. I challenged myself to this intense post schedule. I have used the year 2021 to explore the various forms of poetry. This month I decided to write Proverbial forms of poetry. I will pick a proverb, a short common saying, and use it to create a poem in whatever direction the Muse chooses to lead me. However, you must remember we are talking about Word Daddy here. My Muse isn’t dependability or inspirational. He often leaves me high and dry when I need his help the most. Apparently, Proverbials have no particular rules. I will try not to sound cliché. My next attempt to write a Proverbial Poem, I will call Love Your Enemy.
Love Your Enemy
The proverbial saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” probably originated with Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Machiavelli also gets credit for saying something similar in The Prince.
Love Your Enemy
The good book makes a harsh command,
Love your enemy is hard to understand.
There may be some logic in The Art of War
Sun Tzu’s words aren’t easy to ignore.
His theory concerning the enemy
Would never produce serenity.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Like some sort of lethargic, pathetic poser
Would make certain to earn you a knife in the back.
Or upside the head, he’d deliver a whack.
I prefer the strategy of heaping coals on the fire
And when the situation looks dismal and dire,
I’ll adopt a different philosophy
Which might work out better for me
One easy to embrace and defend
The enemy of my enemy will become my friend.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!
Ya know Molly you could take time to write a few poems and schedule them in advance, unless you already do that.
Thank you for the advice. I already do that, but sometimes I it still gets away from me.
Gotcha
Many phrases and quotes in life is contrary to the principles in life and some are faith based and others just are 1-of-a-kind and mind-capturing and when I am faced with such situations I rely on either intuition or gut-feeling or instinct!
*Your post is well thought out and well written into type*
Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed day.
You are respected by me and your talent is profound!
Thank you.
vice versa
Nice one!
Thank you.
wow, very nicely done… not easy to capture the flick-flaking of these dynamics… what I have found fascinating is the hold that the idea of Trust is even possible…maybe… There go I but for the Grace of God… or Walking in another’s Shoe’s sayings are on your last leg of the August run… btw I fillowed a blogger on a 100 day’s run… it’s some challenge so thank you for making the effort, thought provoking stuff…
Thank you so much for reading my poem.
Touch themes for living. I’m glad you take them on insightfully, creatively.
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed day,
I meant to write “Tough themes for living.” But you do touch themes for living, too.
Loving my enemy is in accord with Bible teachings but inconsistent with life and contrary to nature!
I have never learn to love my enemy
it may take practice and such practice don’t interest me so far!!!
Thank you for reading. Loving your enemy is a hard thing to do.
very-very-very true!
Very true and very nicely written! Also if you want to read more quotes by Sun Tzu then you should definitely check out this https://turtlequote.com/50-amazing-sun-tzu-quotes/
Thank you.
“friends close” etc etc is not Sun Tzu. Fortune cookie – and it makes no sense.
https://shibumimanagementcanada.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/invented-sun-tzu-art-of-war-quotes/