An Earthly love

[NikolaiI]

As I wake from sleep
and dreams, happiness
and so much joy,
simply that you exist
my darling;
as I stand,
peace in my heart,
and happiness, my love,
my world is transformed
and new.
As sure as
my heart and breath's rhythm,
my soul deathless, my heart boundless,
I am connected to the earth,
connected to you.
There is none for me but earth,
and none for me but you.

[Bar22do]

what a plain love declaration! is this state going to last forever...? hopefully so - greetings - Bar

[NikolaiI]

thank you Bar

[Haunted]

love as transcendental and transformational — you said it so well you almost got me believing it. :wink5:

[NikolaiI]

Thanks!

well I wrote this just after waking.. and got it just as it was in my mind, which is lucky.

Really appreciate your comment! :smile5:

[Delta40]

sounds like there is alot of rose tint on your glasses still!

[NikolaiI]

Thanks a lot Delta. :)

[NikolaiI]

My life's rhythm finally took me
beyond the world;
I cannot be but that I am, to say
where I have been,
what I have seen.

My life's rhythm finally took me
where I am;
My heart's secret my lips will not breathe,
but will stay where it is,
what it is.

Life's beauty is a dancing of particles,
dancing of opposites.
dark, light, unknown, knowing,
finite, infinite,
divine.

My life's rhythm brought me to "I am."
And where I am now, seems so far from "I am."
But I know now, it is not far from "I am."
In the final place, I have known that I am.
In my resting place, I will know that I am.

[angliholic]

As I wake from sleep
and dreams, happiness
and so much joy,
simply that you exist
my darling;
as I stand,
peace in my heart,
and happiness, my love,
my world is transformed
and new.
As sure as
my heart and breath's rhythm,
my soul deathless, my heart boundless,
I am connected to the earth,
connected to you.
There is none for me but earth,
and none for me but you.

No matter who he is, he's the luckiest guy on earth, I believe!

[NikolaiI]

ah, I'm actually a man, angliholic. :)

Thank you so much for the comment.

[angliholic]

ah, I'm actually a man, angliholic. :)

Thank you so much for the comment.


Sorry, my bad!

She is the luckiest lass no matter who she is, I mean.


For what it's worth, the older I grow, the more I believe--Art is the tree of life!

[NikolaiI]

elder Native,
I know not what to call you.
you stand upon this hill,
in the spirit's solitude.
You have met the Great Spirit,
and nature swirls about you.
You emphasize the holiness of all life with your smile,
and your grace,
and you make joyful all who know you.
There is peace and holiness in you,
I cannot salute you,
but the trees and branches in every sacred place salutes you.
I do not know what to call you,
but I remember you,
and the Great Spirit.
I am alone with you.

[NikolaiI]

divine soul,
perfect one,
Tathagata.

This cloudy day is
just too muddy
for my mind.

in a pool of clear water
I seek reality.

In my heart's core,
Tathagata
divine soul,
darling one.

[NikolaiI]

lovely Earth our Mother,
how we neglect you.

-your crazy, schizophrenic children.

[NikolaiI]

mad in love,
I will wait for you
stay awake for you.

[NikolaiI]

each letter from my love
is like a part of my soul
connecting my way back home
to the heart of reality.

[NikolaiI]

kissed
missed
list
found
round
sound
lost
tossed
cost
fold
bold
told
soul
whole
coal

[NikolaiI]

she steps
startled upon waking her lover
unfolds the gift he brought her
and joins her love in slumber

[NikolaiI]

so tired that i should feel this way again
and missing something great
i know that passed before my eyes.
the old men at the off tracks
for once sober
crashed on the bench doing yoga.
if life is a dream i must have muddy vision
i can't help but think my blood is buddha-blood
and my bones are buddha-bones.

[NikolaiI]

the wine from your lips
the music in your smile
the bliss in your fingers,
and your love all the while
shines the world into shade.

[NikolaiI]

when will
all my illusion vanish,
and pain and darkness
wash to sea?
chewing the chewed
gets old in a hurry.
the soul is round
it flows from an earthly sea.
my thoughts are scattered
and my love spread round the earth
and my existence
too thin to see.

[NikolaiI]

i took so many steps toward truth
couldn't truth take a step toward me?

[NikolaiI]

morning brings a new life
in the shade of the old tree i lay to sleep.
my life enfolded in divine love
i rest, hidden away from the sun,
and smile and think of my life now begun.

[Haunted]

I'm glad I checked back, you added so many wonderful pieces. Some are delightful while others have more profound meanings. The language you used is beautiful. There are so many great lines, here's a few of my favorite lines and thoughts:


My life's rhythm finally took me
beyond the world

-----

lovely Earth our Mother,
how we neglect you.
-your crazy, schizophrenic children.

-----

each letter from my love
is like a part of my soul
connecting my way back home
to the heart of reality.

-----

i took so many steps toward truth
couldn't truth take a step toward me?

[NikolaiI]

thank you Haunted!!

[hack]

These are all so good,
they make me glad
that I am in love.
...peace...

[NikolaiI]

Thank you so much hack I am so glad they were meaningful to you.

[NikolaiI]

silent peace
"know one thing, and know all things"
confusion swept away to reveal a stillness, wholeness,
perfection, beauty and love I never expected.
since you came to me, nothing has been the same.
keep my heart and protect it.
my words exist and fade in an instant,
and I am alone but care not.
you came and you erased my pain.
a new world every day my heart embraces,
worlds i never knew.
my stamp on reality and my connection
are my sole existence,
all else fades and retreats into nothing.
with a word,
dear,
you light my world, and reveal
there is nothing but the infintite soul.
every part of this moment is familiar
beyond what the meaning of familiar is.
beyond world, time, form, feeling and thought
there is this pure, fathomless existence
all that ever is
you and i,
and on nights like this I get remembrance,
these instances of your impact in my life.

[hack]

Nik, This is a wonderfully touching declaration of profound love.
You have found your "dear" one, that is clear. This poem, and
the others in this thread are overflowing with the joy that is
part and parcel of that knowledge. "Know one thing, and know
all things". This is beautiful...peace...

[NikolaiI]

thank you so much, hack, you are so kind!

[Haunted]

Nik, thanks for such a lovely poem!

[NikolaiI]

You're welcome, Haunted <3

[NikolaiI]

Consciousness a mirror,
the universe a body.
Infinite, eternal, source.

[NikolaiI]

It's unknown here,
Unseen,
Unknown,
But I see it,
I hear it,
the swoosh,
An angel swinging swiftly down from the infinite abode,
to take the infinite soul up from ignorance,
to return it to its home.

[NikolaiI]

...And I thought my heart was dead with pain,
Several times,
Felt the darkness closing in,
and that that I would die.
I came through with wounds and yet no friends,
save those who made themselves mine,
heaven, earth, and winds -
and I am not alone, though quite alone I seem.
...And several times my heart was dead with pain,
But this illusion,
like that of fear and hate,
is simply that illusion, nothing more.
It is mere appearance.
I walk alone where I am not alone.
Several times I thought my heart was dead with pain,
But in the end I know it is adamantine,
More a mirror of soul than a broken glass.
Pain washes through and seems real,
but a dead heart feels no pain,
nor does one died and born again
as many times as mine.
Many times I thought my heart was dead with pain,
But in the now I know it is adamantine,
And stronger, more a mirror of soul than broken glass,
Reflecting both sides, bound and boundlessness.

[lallison]

lovely.

[Jerrybaldy]

NickolaiI,
You are an explosion of love, flowing love poetry with a flood of feeling. You must be in it up to your neck mate ;) Good luck
BW
JB

[NikolaiI]

Thank you lallison.

Jerry..er.. :p glad I made a favorable impression.

[angliholic]

Sorry for the mistake I made!

[NikolaiI]

angli, that's aright. :smile5: thanks for your comments!

[Bar22do]

Again do I hear as if Rumi's echoes... What a noble thought the one you share with us, while you seem to write out of a state of spiritual bliss... thanks for that NicolaiI, Bar

[PrinceMyshkin]

My life's rhythm finally took me
beyond the world;
I cannot be but that I am, to say
where I have been,
what I have seen.

My life's rhythm finally took me
where I am;
My heart's secret my lips will not breathe,
but will stay where it is,
what it is.

Life's beauty is a dancing of particles,
dancing of opposites.
dark, light, unknown, knowing,
finite, infinite,
divine.

My life's rhythm brought me to "I am."
And where I am now, seems so far from "I am."
But I know now, it is not far from "I am."
In the final place, I have known that I am.
In my resting place, I will know that I am.

That last verse is brave and the most affecting of the whole.

[Haunted]

Consciousness a mirror,
the universe a body.
Infinite, eternal, source.

this is the grandest I've ever seen written on eternity and being one with the divine.

[NikolaiI]

Again do I hear as if Rumi's echoes... What a noble thought the one you share with us, while you seem to write out of a state of spiritual bliss... thanks for that NicolaiI, Bar

Thank so much Bar. I'm really glad you appreciated my poem.


That last verse is brave and the most affecting of the whole.

Thanks very much Prince. There's a song I had been listening to a lot that inspired me, by Peter Tosh, "I Am That I Am."


this is the grandest I've ever seen written on eternity and being one with the divine.

Thank you so much Haunted <3

[Hawkman]

It's unknown here,
Unseen,
Unknown,
But I see it,
I hear it,
the swoosh,
An angel swinging swiftly down from the infinite abode,
to take the infinite soul up from ignorance,
to return it to its home.

Hi NiKolai,

I like this, it has music and a good rhythm. I would suggest though, that you try to avoid repeating words unless they are designed to form a refrain in a longer, more structured piece. You've already said unknown in L1 so why repeat it in L3 and emphasise it by giving the line to it. With Infinite you have repeated it in the next line. maybe L1 could read, "It's a stranger here,"

You could say eternal in the second instance but that is a bit of a cliche. Alternatively, depending on your intent when writing, you could contrast the "...infinite abode..." with the '...finite soul..."

Best, H

[Haunted]

It's unknown here,
Unseen,
Unknown,
But I see it,
I hear it,
the swoosh,
An angel swinging swiftly down from the infinite abode,
to take the infinite soul up from ignorance,
to return it to its home.

this is so beautiful, the image of an angel coming down from heaven on a swing. The arc shape line breaks draws the swinging trajectory in my mind, it's a very strong, compelling visual. The idea of deliverance is simply awe inspiring.

[NikolaiI]

this is so beautiful, the image of an angel coming down from heaven on a swing. The arc shape line breaks draws the swinging trajectory in my mind, it's a very strong, compelling visual. The idea of deliverance is simply awe inspiring.

Thanks much, dear Haunted.


Hi NiKolai,

I like this, it has music and a good rhythm. I would suggest though, that you try to avoid repeating words unless they are designed to form a refrain in a longer, more structured piece. You've already said unknown in L1 so why repeat it in L3 and emphasise it by giving the line to it. With Infinite you have repeated it in the next line. maybe L1 could read, "It's a stranger here,"

You could say eternal in the second instance but that is a bit of a cliche. Alternatively, depending on your intent when writing, you could contrast the "...infinite abode..." with the '...finite soul..."

Best, H

Thank you for your suggestion, H. I'm glad you liked it but I'm sorry you thought I should change it.

As for your suggestions go, as far as the two unknown's goes, it is right the way it is.

As to the others, I can at least, hopefully, explain a couple of points. First, the first line isn't saying the angel is unknown - it is saying that the swoosh is unknown.

The second part, your suggestion of changing the second instance of the use of the word infinite would change the meaning of the poem. In my poetry the meaning is always the most important thing, the reality the poem is describing. In this case the use of infinite is very specifically chosen.

It's unknown here,
Unseen,
Unknown,
But I see it,
I hear it,
the swoosh,
An angel swinging swiftly down from the infinite abode,
to take the infinite soul up from ignorance,
to return it to its home.

This poem is about something unseen, and unheard, but describing it as if it is heard. The poem is about describing something the writer heard, the swoosh. The angel comes down, as Haunted said, in an arc. It's just the way they move, or the way this one does.

The infinite abode is the absolute ground of reality. The infinite soul is the universal soul, which is not just one person, or not just humanity, but humanity and the rest of life. The point is that the infinite soul is in ignorance, and believes itself to be fractured into innumerable splintered, finite souls.

So you can see that this is really unknown here. It's like there's two sides of reality, one is the one you will probably think of as our side, in which every resident is under the fixed illusion that they are an individual self only, separate from the whole - a being in space and time, governed by limitations of the laws of space and time. The 'other' side is the clear, infinite light that is true reality. It is not void, nor is it merely formless. It's infinite light in the form of intelligence, peace, harmony, and bliss. Infinite existence.

That is what is unknown here. Here, in our universe, we exclude the infinite as we do not understand it. It is not much a part of our daily lives. It's quite unknown. Yet the finite is part of the infinite. Our universe is within the infinite. Indeed, everything in our universe is infinite, if we can only see everything as it is. We have to start somewhere.

And the ground of reality that is infinite peace, bliss, existence, and intelligence, that is so self-evident, that when one sees it, one sees only it, and sees it in its entirety. It is understood on a level so deep that it becomes the only conceivable reality, as it is the only reality. There seems utterly no need to speak of it. There is nothing more, and never will be, and what way is there to express it? As Buddhist masters have said, Thus. It is Thusness.

So it seems almost like reality has two equal and unmixing sections, our perceived universe, the finite, and the one which many of our world exclude, the infinite. The former is illusion, the latter reality. And this is why the poem begins saying, unseen, unknown.

[Hawkman]

"As to the others, I can at least, hopefully, explain a couple of points. First, the first line isn't saying the angel is unknown - it is saying that the swoosh is unknown."

In whcih case the first use of "Unknown" in Line 1 is competely superfluous and tautologous.

"The infinite abode is the absolute ground of reality. The infinite soul is the universal soul, which is not just one person, or not just humanity, but humanity and the rest of life. The point is that the infinite soul is in ignorance, and believes itself to be fractured into innumerable splintered, finite souls."

Logically, to say that the abode and the soul are both infinite implies that they are already one. Where there are no borders, how can there be delineation between one and the other.


Whilst I accept you may have a personal philosophy regarding the nature of the universal soul, the reader is not privy to it. I suspect that many readers, would not necessarily agree with it or understand it. They will merely interpret the words by their meanings and interrelationships, as I did. Sadly, this means that the poet, whose job it is to illustrate these concepts and communicate them effectively to the audience, has failed.

Now please don't misunderstand me here, I'm not trying to demolish your work or attack your personal philosophy. I have already stated that I like this poem. It has music, but the the music would still be apparant by the careful choice of alternative words rather that repeating them and expecting the audience to pick up on the vague variations of interpretation the poet imbues them with.

I hope you see what I'm getting at. Anyway, thanks for the read and the conversation. :)

Live and be well, H

[NikolaiI]

I'm sorry you did not like it.

Thanks for your criticism, and please, feel free to post any time you have corrections for my poetry.

[Haunted]

Since you explained that "This poem is about something unseen, and unheard, but describing it as if it is heard", why not simplify it by changing the second "unknown" to "unheard" for poetic lucidity and symmetry. Also soul suggests eternal life so you may not have to repeat "infinite" again.

[NikolaiI]

Thank you, Haunted...your suggestion is just fine. However, I like the flow of the poem as it is. I do appreciate it, however. The poem is not about my philosophy. I feel it's been killed by this dissection. You thought it was beautiful and awe inspiring at first, but after Hawk's post you want to change it too.

[Haunted]

sorry Nik, it's only my humble suggestion, either way it wouldn't affect my appreciation of the poem!

[NikolaiI]

heard a voice once in a dream,
the walls faded from my mind,
and I saw the light behind this world,
and how it is in every thing.

[NikolaiI]

weeks on later, met with betrayal,
the divine voice drowned by confusion,
i realized my mistake, trusting,
the wrong people.

[NikolaiI]

now feeling a lot of pain, betrayed,
by those i cared about and trusted,
drug along the ground,
and then - lovely - called a masochist.

[NikolaiI]

run away from me, i would rather be alone,
my defenders gone, and you all think i am in darkness and pain.
just so long as i know, i can see how you despise me,
then i am okay, and will never be hurt by you again.

[NikolaiI]

my eyes close, against the blinding light,
i cannot guide you but i suggest you give yourself up to the flame.
my error has been to rely on souls divided separately
but from now on my soul will know only the one.

[NikolaiI]

blessed one, Tathagata, may you never leave my heart,
long i have sought you, and now, union drawing close,
will do nothing to disrupt your approach.

[NikolaiI]

peace in the midst of illusion is a feat
none can enact indefinitely.
for this reason is the infinite enmeshed
in the vines grown on mortal soil.

[NikolaiI]

all things flow like water to their source,
the nature of all things is of the nature of light,
once the source, one will always return,
this is the reason we return to light.

[NikolaiI]

blessed one, Tathagata, drawing near,
will you bring me a cup of water?
tulsi was grown in earthly soil,
yet she presents heavenly flowers.

[NikolaiI]

here i am without illusion,
without care.
the heart beats a pure, standard rhythm,
sheltered by your light.

[NikolaiI]

Angels fly by, close by,
enclose upon my heart
to protect me from your rabid eyes,
and the fangs of your frothing mouth.

[NikolaiI]

Darkness in your heart,
and ten thousand distractions -
is it my fault you failed to get your mind
to see past distorted abstractions?

[NikolaiI]

I grew up in a tender soil,
and knew infinite others like me.
I am merely a green plant,
I am just a little light.

[NikolaiI]

The right time cannot be made,
It simply is.
The right way cannot be forced,
It simply is.

[Haunted]

Just read the new ones, really enjoyed them!

[NikolaiI]

thanks Haunted! :)

[NikolaiI]

Predawn stillness
Mind's beauty
For an instant I know
It cannot be grasped
It cannot be formed
It cannot be hindered
It is, flows, eternally.

[NikolaiI]

It was such a special, amazing, wonderful feeling
the first time I heard you say, "I love you too,"
my heart skipped several beats, and I fell in love again,
and immediately I knew
that I would live to hear your voice say these words.
It's never diminished,
and it's beautiful, unique, precious,
only yours and mine,
nothing can profane this.
I can't quite, nor can I ever describe,
the depth of this feeling the first time, or any other.

[NikolaiI]

To you it was Some Greek Philosopher
you never read -
To me it was a breathing genius' words
on the page alive.

[NikolaiI]

I will never forget this myriad world,
spirit world, beauty world, world of dreams,
with so many relations, and variations,
this garden of harmony, beauty, and light,
I thank whatever formed or formless power
that in grace bestowed upon me such a view.

My divine secret I will take with me to the grave,
if I can only forget that I've told it to others!
Nature is funny in its endless evolution,
and endless play of yang and yin.

Once as I saw the divine light, it seemed certain
Everyone could understand the very next day.
Enlightening the universe seemed the simplest thing,
Now I am finished with this, and looking smaller,
I'll just focus on breathing, and seeing,
and repeating Amitabha's name.

I'll never forget that spirit world, myriad world,
beauty world, world of dreams.
I just feel like I've been everywhere,
and seen so many worlds
like an ancient, wearied traveler
for a short time passing through.

I came to meet a friend,
and then I'm going home.