Three weeks three worlds
There’s never enough time it seems
and though God is Red: and SHE IS
Placed, Rooted, Planted, we
float like the
whites of their eyes.
in the fog we see what we touch
but the scene
drifts
surreal humans
surreal humans
pass in boats, disappear, appear,
and the sound of the river
and the sound of the river
almost drowns the big silver birds above.
in the whirlpool, one can
squart the wall,
or swim in panic from the upside down feeling
and in the dark side at high tide
mega bouncy surfs
mega bouncy surfs
pinball on pointy rocks, collide and flip,
near broach to bow rescue.
the dinosaurs are getting hungry, time is the enemy
the earth is hungry, the river is thirsty, the land is starving
some people are worrying some people are slarving
it’s all so alarming that the forests are burning and the cars keep carrrring but
no one seems to care except what the orange lunatics are pardoning
I got ugly in the fog thinking about
the history of blood soaked land
the millions of bodies buried in the name of the canal,
the weight of the road matched only by
the millions of bodies buried in the name of the canal,
the weight of the road matched only by
the blood of history: the crimes that don't need to be hidden
the textbook history of government
clouded in the enduring fog of war .
And i think - ever since "They" taught us,
why is it that we know what has been done
but
why is it that we know what has been done
but
do not feel we can change the flow?
time is the enemy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvUeo5sagkA)
and the fog of war (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ZhIi57x-4)
time is the enemy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvUeo5sagkA)
and the fog of war (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ZhIi57x-4)
Z, this was poignant and inspiring, thank you! A quote I've been reminding myself of lately as I fight the dark side, the feeling of panic and wanting to swim as the forces of this sometimes twisted life flip me upside down, pulling me down down down, is this: "Don't forget: You are overcomers, for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." (1John 4:4)
ReplyDeleteLike a flipped newbie who "doesn't have any business to be in that kind of water," I struggle with this because despite that I feel called to pursue the values of love, life, and truth, I feel so often caught in rapids that take me down the wrong line. Or I see forces outside my control, like the orange lunatic, erasing good progress already made or coming after the ones I love. Or that evil psychopath that raped and tortured one my clients. And I wonder, if "greater is he" that is in me, then why does the dark side win so often?
But despite that there seems to be an almost magnetic pull to the dark side like the thirsty diagonal waves feeding the mouth of the dinosaur, my heart is buoyed by the playful, bouncy waves, the sun that never fails to peak over the horizon, and the gray herons that keep us company.
Two years ago, my grandma, who lived 103 years, died. But two weeks before she did, I visited her in California. Her spirit shone like the sun. She said, Danny, at the deepest level I have seen that love is the most important answer to the deepest question. Two evenings ago, the night before the water rose, my wife and I attended an event organized by the Anti-Defamation League, who honored "extraordinary people who have acted with exceptional strength, courage and compassion when confronted by the forces of hate." one of them was a dear friend of my wife's named Tolu. Talented artists played beautiful songs that were tributes to those who have devoted their lives to the marginalized in society. Tears flowed freely. And I was reminded that it is not I who will win the battle with the dark side, because I was never meant to. Life, truth, and love will not "win" either. They don't need to, because just by the force of their eternal existence, they are always going to be more powerful than death, deceit, and hate. And actually, I realized that I don't need to give the dark side too much thought. I need to paddle wisely and fiercely, yes, but when the sun comes up over the water, I will just...be.
good stuff Danny,
DeleteYes, we are rooted in the great infinity of being; the dark side is but a metaphor for our identification with the passing form, our fear of nothingness and irrelevance pushing us into the desire for power, control, lust, greed, I think of that hole like the cave on Dagoba, one must go there not to succumb to the pull, but to overcome oneself. Kayaking is part of life, but it offers an excellent window to analyze the pull of forces in the world, where one sits within it, and how ultimately, the vast powers of creation just keep churning and churning, with or without us. I agree with you, that while we are often aghast that there does not seem to be some benevolent force in control of the world, it is benevolence and love that allows the entire show to go on. Unfortunately, the show is full of evil players, who will only take advantage of love and its creative power as they bend it to their selfish ends. What can one do but live by example? Organize with the like minded and 'gird up their loins' for just war against those who will not ask nor desist from taking what is not theirs to claim. The dinosaur is both gracious and vengeful, nature too, will provide whatever dimensions we seek from it; and it is this depth, this limitless quality that keeps us coming back for more and more. Your grandma sounds like a wonderful lady, as does your circle of family and friends - keep flowing, and in the flow find peace. SYOTR.