Profound! Deeply felt, this poem really captures the mood of our times. It offers us love as the way forward. Well done!

This is a very nicely constructed Rondeau. I love the last two lines. Good job Kent!

Face haste and empathy leads to Great Deeds! Yes! ‘When lovers serve love as a gift … There, love gains a giving spirit’ ….. That’s just beautiful. True and True and True! Great Poem!

Love this, but these lines especially:
“Rabid minds like rapacity
Fear drives their hearts to what’s not right!”
Very powerful, I felt it.

The questions lead well here, making it an excellent philosophical study. Good form.

Indeed, this poem is deeply profound, powerful and in very good form. I love this line in particular, ‘Empathy too, shows our own face’ … However, the second stanza touches on Sartre (Being and Nothingness or ‘Being is not a thing, or the reverse’) then taps on Heidegger (Being and Time or ‘Being is Time, or vice versa’) but finishes off with a sanitized Husserl, and his phenomenology (study of the development of human awareness). Yet, the last stanza is a beautiful summary of the entire thought process that’s introduced. I am struck by this poem’s creative impulse and pure originality! Kent, you are a very highly skilled poet and thinker. You’re full of wonder.

I am most impressed with the first stanza. Its telling of our collective mood worldwide. This poem builds on that theme in its last two stanzas with a great punchline: “Flash of brief hope is a place,
where
Care might shine, once more a bright light”

Traditional? Yes, but superb!

Love this poem. …Great deeds don’t come from undue haste… really speaks to us all. Timely piece of work.

yeah I agree w all of the above … this is an octo-sylabic rondeau in a aabba aabc aabbac rhyming scheme but it is sooo exceptional! its not songlike. very clever Kent!
lets map it…

a: dare
a: repair
b: spree
b: carefree
a: unfair
state: dare repair that unfair carefree spree?

a: way
a: lay
b: rapacity
c: right!

state: way lay that rapacity right!

a: face
a: haste
b: gift
b: spirit
a: where
c: light

state: face haste and spirit is a gift where there is light

lets recap it:

a’s state: dare repair that unfair waylay? then face haste
b’s state: spree, carefree, equals rapacity! not the gift of spirit
c’s state: right is light

forget the schematics … this poem is beautiful any way u cut it. the rhyme scheme is much less important than the ideas being expressed and its deigned that way. they set the mood of the poem but can’t be sung. oooh! very functional. I loved it!

Hmmm. I agree with Mary.
The “dialectics” in this poem are tremendous, check this out … the vertical statement logic top to bottom, and left to right.

Left margins:

Top to bottom, left:
“Words Chase Wasted When Gods … Not For Rabid Fear … Empathy Great When There Flash Care” !!!

Bottom up, left:
“Care Flash There When Great Empathy … Fear Rabid For Not … Gods When Wasted Chase Words”

!!! Logic of it all:
“When Gods Chase Wasted Words,” then, “For Rabid Fear Not,” but, “When Great Empathy There Care Flash”
!!! Aha, incredible stuff!

Now lets see what comes up with the right margins:

Top to bottom, right:
“Dare Repair Spree Carefree Unfair?” … “Way Lay Rapacity Right!” … “Face Haste Gift Spirit Where Light”

Bottom up, right:
“Light Where Spirit Gift Haste Face” … “Right! Rapacity Lay Way” –tongue in cheek! — … Unfair? Carefree Spree Repair Dare”

!!! Logic:
“Dare Repair Unfair Carefree Spree?” … “Way Lay Rapacity Right!” … “Face Haste Where Spirit Gift Light”

!!! Vow! Awesome!

Kent, u really worked on this, I can tell. No matter which way u look at this poem… its meaning comes jumping out of their sockets… in a strong, subtle, but still… yeah! a uniform lexicon.

Marvelous work Kent!

I am convinced that this poem is of great importance, both for a better understanding of our recent past and as a study of human nature in general. I love the entire poem, but especially the last two lines. Great job.