So silent it turns, so peaceful.
Eye unopened, fed without eating.
No need to breathe, to walk, to fear.
All provided, all already,
peace beyond peace,
calm beyond calm,
sleep beyond sleep.
Then force it through the Gate.
“You must be free.”
“This is how you eat.”
“This is how you waste.”
“This is how you play.”
“This how you learn.”
“This is how you speak.”
“This is how you dress.”
“You must be free.”
And how to remember
the thousand things?
And how to live without terror?
“You are not what you are.”
“Good children love their parents.”
“You must be responsible.”
“You must be free.”
“Eat your vegetables.”
“Wipe your mouth.”
“Go to school.”
“Pay your taxes.”
“Don’t let anyone tell you what to think.”
“Don’t think too much.”
“Just be yourself.”
And what is a Self?
Is a Self a scared rabbit?
“You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Be grateful.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“Stop being self-conscious.”
“Be careful who you trust.”
“You must be free.”
“Stop running from yourself.”
“You have to face facts.”
“Life is cruel.”
“Life is good.”
And why this fear of falling?
Why this terror of the many?
Why fear and long for dissolution?
“Love life.”
“Love God.”
“There is no God.”
“There is no love.”
“Sometimes love just happens.”
“You must be free.”
“Believe what you want to believe.”
“Sometimes you can’t help yourself.”
“I love you.”
And why is nothing solid?
Why does everything
contain its opposite?
“This is my gift to you.”
“I hate one-sided truths.”
“What is love?”
“Tell the truth.”
“Conceal nothing.”
“These are my naked thoughts.”
“I don’t know my thoughts.”
“You must be free.”
“I don’t know myself.”
“I’m so afraid.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Don’t complicate things.”
“Baby don’t hurt me…”
I'm curious what prompted this poem, Geofrey, if you care to share. There's a lot to it, and I believe anyone who reads it will read it differently, or find they connect with it uniquely. And that is a lot for a poem (and its poet) to manage. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... why the alarming-looking caution symbol near my post?
DeleteWell, I'm really glad you enjoyed it Erik! I think part of what I wanted to express was a kind of frustration or confusion that (I think) a lot of us feel about what we're supposed to be or do in the world, and the anxiety that creates. It's really kind of vague, more of a feeling than a thought, but I think that's what I was trying to get at. Explaining what I'm after in a poem somehow feels kind of artificial, like it should speak for itself, but here I am tagging along behind it saying, "But this is what I really meant!" Any explanation I could give is bound to be a little one-sided, you know? And it's out in the world now, it doesn't really belong to me anymore. Or something like that.
DeleteI'm not sure what the exclamation point's all about over there, but you might wanna get it checked out! Could be malignant.