Copyright Björn Rudberg
Hidden truths
exposed as lying smoke;
sombre syllables of sullen clouds.
Once captured as an asset in their balance sheets
and silent wings of a smothered gull
Now its frozen tears are
Broken shells,
Tokens from a midden
Once hidden, rising from the cutting,
Reminders of people we killed and dispossessed
To grab our wealth, however flimsy.
These ancestors abide.
Always there
the omnipresent might
of shiny purgatory pipes we dread
in oily arguments and given compensations
of discounted gasoline and games
forgetting melodies –
wondering
where did the world go wrong?
The collective skills of humankind –
Genius, curiosity, guile and conscience
distilled within these metal sluices,
syphoned to the pockets
of the few
The disconnect divides
Faith and faithless, believers, liars
High rise friars and broadcasts of promised immaculates
Clasp our hands, intertwined in wiring
Mouths open, eyes are closed
Salvation –
disguised by persuasions
inducing our passive acceptance,
resisting cultivation of enlightenment.
The sobering approval of flawed
arguments make us ask
Is there hope?
In Earth, beneath concrete,
Tiny tendrils insistently press,
Unseen, probe the weaknesses of lime, sand and stone,
And wedge verdant fingers into cracks.
We will emerge, as all
Hidden Truths.
A collaborative triquain chain by @brudberg, @sleepingdingo, @troublegummer,@vivchook and @stair71. To be shared at dVerse Open Link Night today.
The voice of collaborative poetry 
Reblogged this on Björn Rudbergs writings and commented:
Our latest collaborative poem that I will link to dVerse Open Link … pub opens at 3PM EST.
Dark but well done collaborative poem. 🙂 — Suzanne
An interesting style of poetry, and nice to see how it flows even though more than one person was involved.
ha. there is a constant divide…and i think it only grows further apart..where did we go wrong? its been a long time since that started…perhaps as soon as we developed money or started to think that things were more important than people….there is an interesting internal rhythm to this as well…which is probably hard to achieve with multiple writers…
very cool how you come full circle in this. I hope that the verdant growth of life does win out in the end!
Nice photo, Björn. I really like its sharpness, the sky in the background, and that snow on top. Great capture!
we will emerge…as everything finally emerges sooner or later… wondering how many things there are hidden – even within us – that we don’t know…
indeed, what lies beneath. excellent photo and the poem with it is excellent. all those truths that somehow, find their way out.
First of all, brother, congrats on assuming some of the leadership in the New dVerse Poets Pub saga, where the fellowship is inexorable. Love the photo, one you have shared on FB. Don’t know why, but often I don’t write well with others, my own voice wanting to rewrite all adjuncts; hard to sublimate my own fire in other’s furnaces; arrogant & absurd, perhaps. You seem to do it graciously. I like the lines /now its frozen tears are/broken shells/ though I do not know who wrote it.
“Midden” new word, gotta look it up. Interesting write!
Great image. Great collaboration. Your words blended well and seamlessly. A lot of food for thought. Excellent, excellent write.
I am always amazed at how these collaborative poems pull together.
Man, I am blown away by this! especially, ‘The disconnect divides
Faith and faithless, believers, liars
High rise friars and broadcasts of promised immaculates
Clasp our hands, intertwined in wiring’ there’s an element of “back and forth” here
that flows effortlessly and weaves the completely opposite subjects in the piece… bravo
There’s hope as you’ve demonstrated through a finely wrought collaboration of poetry. Perhaps art is the only antidote for it creates instead of destroys.
Wonderful movement in this piece – loved the final lines as nature will have the final say
Bjorn yours is such a powerful voice. Bravo! The last lines “We will emerge, as all / Hidden Truths” will continue resonate in my soul. Cheers!
Excellent collaboration – I think protest poems may be best that way – we need unity to overcome, and those issues you write about need the energy of many. Well said, composed, and presented. Kudos.
“Tiny tendrils insistently press,”… perhaps, this is where the hope lies
Superb collaboration on a dark subject. The verdant fingers will exist long after we have destroyed ourselves…
I do hope there is hope – but worry there isn’t.
Kind regards
Anna :o]
stark and moving ~
Ultimately you find the tendril that makes this positive–and I do too, I do too. My favorite pause in the whole:
“Salvation –
disguised by persuasions”
Really well done! The final stanza does seem to me to find some bit of hope–
A seamless collaboration, which must be one of the most difficult ways of writing poetry. You have achieved something worthwhile and memorable.
yes the wonder of seeds stretching and pressing sunwards is hopeful for me.
when i was little i used to think the same thing about dust as a return of nature to a manmade space.
we’re all getting so sick of big industry destroying our world, making decisions for us etc.. when are we going to do something about besides write and complain?
in state, faithful lying
Ah.. the weed in every human pushes up to never give up.. perhaps not seen when minds become concrete way.. but still the flower of human weed.. cannot resist for ever.. to exist.. at least once..:)
Collaborative poetry is often the most interesting. I love this piece and the array of topics it touches upon. Though the subject is one that often stirs cynicism, the eloquence and vividness of the writing offers a shimmer of hope. Thank you!
I think we are all connected by the disconnect. I am not as lacking in hope somehow as this–I keep thinking back to earlier times which seemed to me, really grimmer, although of course, the environmental issues weren’t as severe–and that is huge. Thanks, Bjorn. k.
This poem is amazing on different levels. It is collaborative, has a deep and most important message, and it reads beautifully as if written by one flow. Lovely. I like the green that breaks through and I do think the earth will survive, but perhaps without us.
An easy flowing collaboration of thoughts..well done to all..
i like the hopeful note this ends on… so much too worry about in the world today.
a wonderful collaboration!
Complex and chilling indictment, Bjorn. Your collaborative work amazes me. It is so cohesive. When did you live in Phoenix?! I spent a few years there, too–eons ago.
Very dark and cool collaboration, Bjorn.
Yes, the passive acceptance is the really scary thing. But it’s good to be reminded of those persistent tendrils.
In the absence of knowing we’re already doing wrong is where it all started because there was no awareness & even if people were ever aware of the acts they did most of them resist to accept this awareness. How sad a reality. It’s like as if the evolution of man has been extended… from apeas to humans now to alligators… always hungry for more to benefit with.. Great intensity here, Bjorn, et als.
oops… i mean “apes” & not “apeas”…
A fascinating collaborative poem with the theme of hidden truths, holding up adroitly, with haunting reverberations, throughout.
It is interesting that we as a society have so many buried truths. We should be intelligent and enlightened enough to find them. Stunning piece. 🙂
I think I can distinguish your voice in this piece, but I could be wrong. “The silent wings of a smothered seagull” is only one great line in this moving piece….”verdant fingers into cracks” is one of hope. I feel a large part of the “change” was when no longer was one breadwinner in a family sufficient. And the “sobering approval of flawed arguments” makes me think the premise was wrong in the first place. Thanks for your efforts at clarity.
Bjorn, I don’t know the other poets here, but what consistency, as though you truly do speak with one voice! The form of this is true throughout, and the concept of Hidden Truths to be intriguing and timely. The hidden part, I think, is our intention to do better with this earth. the sad and more obvious truth is that we have blown it, as evidenced by the image and the meandering of vines through the mess. The vines may last. We won’t. Sad, true, and like I said, timely. So many incredible thoughts, and that only adds to the audacity of four poets joining forces to create this living daisy chain of commentary. Peace, Amy
Reblogged this on vivchook and commented:
Our Collaborative Poem for February 2015. Love working with Bjorn, Keren, Philip & Alastair. Unfortunately, Elisa & Carl are busy with family for the time being.
I’ve always said you can disguise the truth with lies, but it will soon wear off, and no matter how far you run, every time you turn, it will be there glaring back at you.