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Charlotte Balladine's avatar

Wonderful post!! 👏 I love Eliot for many reasons - and you have captured so much of Waste Land’s brilliance here.

It reminds me of Eliot’s Hollow Men - when the Lord’s Prayer is fragmented by the persona’s lost ability to speak God’s word, having fallen into the “cactus land” of Dantean purgatory. I pray we all are able to bring “death’s dream kingdom” to earth by remembering that sexuality can be an expression of Divine Love when sanctified within the boundaries of authentic and dedicated relationships.

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Sean Berube's avatar

Completely missed this, but this sounds so interesting! I haven't read Eliot's Hollow Men, but just added it to my weekend reading list, especially if it's got Dante-esque allusions in it :)

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Charlotte Balladine's avatar

Amazing, let me know what you think! I don’t usually promise that a text is an enjoyable read for everyone but I think I can almost guarantee that it will incite deep thought, particularly in the final 4 stanzas.

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Marc Sims's avatar

Really dug this. But, doesn't Elliot say that the river bears "no" empty bottles, sandwich papers, etc.? The river isn't polluted. If it were full of that, there would be a testimony left to the summer nights.

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Sean Berube's avatar

Indeed! It would’ve been better to use the lines referencing that “the river sweats oil and tar”

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Lore's avatar

Loved this, thank you for sharing

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Sean Berube's avatar

Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it :)

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Seth Barton's avatar

Loved this!

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Sean Berube's avatar

Thanks Seth! Glad you enjoyed it

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Scott Statler's avatar

Excellent read thank you!

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Sean Berube's avatar

Thank you Scott! I appreciate you reading

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Brian Shepherd's avatar

Very excellent and well written, Sean. You’ve inspired me to (finally) read this amazing poem. Keep up the great work!

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Sean Berube's avatar

Thanks Brian! It gave me a headache at first, but it was def worth the time investment 😄

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