an old friend

[breathtest]

I've been focused a lot more on writing prose lately, just digging up old bits of poetry to post. But these two i wrote last night/early morning. It was nice to get back to it, i'm sure most if not all of you will know the feeling, like greeting an old friend. Anyway i hope you like them.



Many people of my generation are lazy
with lack of thought -
my obsession is my energy is my activity -
is my life -
I consider this notebook my personal
mind growth and meditation -
my fixed mark.

*

My image is of a corporeal monster
that preys on tears
on strings on pale skin.
I doubt i'll ever see
a golden sun
or the death of an eagle
A child is as sacred as half of both parents

[Bar22do]

I've been focused a lot more on writing prose lately, just digging up old bits of poetry to post. But these two i wrote last night/early morning. It was nice to get back to it, i'm sure most if not all of you will know the feeling, like greeting an old friend. Anyway i hope you like them.



Many people of my generation are lazy
with lack of thought -
my obsession is my energy is my activity -
is my life -
I consider this notebook my personal
mind growth and meditation -
my fixed mark.

*

My image is of a corporeal monster
that prays on tears
on strings on pale skin.
I doubt i'll ever see the
a golden sun
or the death of an eagle
A child is as sacred as half of both parents

How very strange, the second... but shouldn't "prays" be "preys"? I don't really get it, pls forgive me, how your doubts about seeing a golden sun or a death of an eagle connects with a child...

Energy, activity, life, are flowing better when we just slide with them gracefully, wouldn't you agree? The effort we put into obsession is in my view exhausting... though I agree while aging, one kind of needs to apply more awareness not to fall into the trap of inertia...

Thought provoking lines, Breath, thanks for sharing,

Best regards to you - Bar

[breathtest]

Thanks once again for commenting Bar22do.

Although the effort put into an obsession is exhausting i think it is worth suffering the exhaustion. If a person is obsessed about doing something, then doing it gives them some - usually a hell of a lot of - pleasure. Obviously there are 'unhealthy' obsessions, or what some people would term 'unhealthy', but regardless, the obsessed person gets tonnes of pleasure from it. I don't think obsession is something that is planned, though, i think we fall into obsession in the same way we may fall into inertia when ageing.

As to your other remark - The golden sun is referring to a day without destruction. Each and every day there is some kind of destruction, of decadence. And the child being only as sacred as half of both parents is referring to inheriting some characteristics but learning others through society, so becoming 'sacred' by the things we learn in our environments. The 'sacred' bit then is ironic because if society is decaying, or if there is all this destruction, then the learnt characteristics are not going to be sacred, at least how we see that word.

It's a depressing piece i guess only focusing on the negative, i know there still are many many many truly sacred things in the world so i'll quit complaining very soon.

Thanks a lot for your interest and yes pray was meant to be prey, i changed that, and i deleted a 'the' which was not meant to be there. Thanks for the heads up.

[Bar22do]

Thanks once again for commenting Bar22do.

Although the effort put into an obsession is exhausting i think it is worth suffering the exhaustion. If a person is obsessed about doing something, then doing it gives them some - usually a hell of a lot of - pleasure. Obviously there are 'unhealthy' obsessions, or what some people would term 'unhealthy', but regardless, the obsessed person gets tonnes of pleasure from it. I don't think obsession is something that is planned, though, i think we fall into obsession in the same way we may fall into inertia when ageing.

As to your other remark - The golden sun is referring to a day without destruction. Each and every day there is some kind of destruction, of decadence. And the child being only as sacred as half of both parents is referring to inheriting some characteristics but learning others through society, so becoming 'sacred' by the things we learn in our environments. The 'sacred' bit then is ironic because if society is decaying, or if there is all this destruction, then the learnt characteristics are not going to be sacred, at least how we see that word.

It's a depressing piece i guess only focusing on the negative, i know there still are many many many truly sacred things in the world so i'll quit complaining very soon.

Thanks a lot for your interest and yes pray was meant to be prey, i changed that, and i deleted a 'the' which was not meant to be there. Thanks for the heads up.

Breath, they're all complex subjects and very interesting, if I only could take the time to discuss. So, only shortly:

As you describe it, obsession becomes more of an urge and therefore productive... I believe regular meditation discipline allows us to progressively balance rest and activity and this independently of our age...
As to the second part of your answer, I think as yet we live in a world where life thrives on destruction and this is a reality that in the time to come (if such a time comes) is to be replaced by one in which the stronger protects the weaker and the sustenance of each is life's essence itself, inextinguishable, well, a promising perspective, let's wait and see...
Sacredness is still another big subject, it means "separated" from the "profane" even if WITHIN the profane. In life designed by space and time all is relative though and the very notion of "sacred" should be first revised... Some children make for their parents lack of sacredness...

Sorry for rushing, be well and we'll talk again, Bar

[Delta40]

there are medications for obsession...for some, it is an extremely negative experience as they become a slave to it.

very nicely structured verses.

[breathtest]

Thanks for taking the time Bar and Delta.

[blank|verse]

I found these thought-provoking, but I'm with Bar in also finding them a bit baffling, to be honest, breath.

I'm with you on the first one, but it reads a bit too much like a simple statement, or foreword of something more to come. What does follow... I'm not sure I understand if there is meant to be a connection. There is a lot of thought that has gone into them, though, so perhaps it would be worth your while trying to invest some of what you have explained to Bar in the poetry itself. For example, I don't think there's any way I would have come to the conclusion that the second poem is about:

The golden sun is referring to a day without destruction. Each and every day there is some kind of destruction, of decadence. And the child being only as sacred as half of both parents is referring to inheriting some characteristics but learning others through society, so becoming 'sacred' by the things we learn in our environments. [...]
which is a shame, because I feel this is where the art is in what you're trying to express.

[breathtest]

Thanks BV. I understand what you mean completely. Perhaps i'll rework them a bit, see if there's any way i can make my ideas clearer.