by Carl Nelson (June 2025)
Exegetic sheep-dipping most often amounts to a fool’s errand, yet it must be pursued or there can never be any hope of exiting the narrative illusion —David Solway, ‘The Narrative Trap‘
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Talking a Narrative down from its ledge is tough.
Like a Knight Crusader pursuing his Grail
trapped in their Narrative, enthrall to their miracle
like sheep caught in fence wire,
Crusaders will pursue past where their quest is squeezed
of all common sense.
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I know sometimes I’ll be following a TV series,
only to be drawn away by another
and then, when-or-if I return,
a bit of the immediacy is gone.
I no longer care.
I’ve lost the narrative.
This can work better than criticism
or even an impeccably constructed argument
with facts set like bricks in a wall
—that is, of exegetic sheep-dipping.
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A Guinevere might sometimes work the miracle
a chalice—or common sense—cannot.
Exegetic sheep-dipping might be the first weapon
that comes to mind, but probably
the least effective to employ. For example,
the Israelis have found that the best way to stop a terrorist
is to get them married.
Table of Contents
Carl Nelson‘s latest book of poetry titled, Strays, Misfits, Renegades, and Maverick Poems (with additional Verses on Monetizations), has just been published. To have a look at this and more of his work please visit Magic Bean Books.
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