without mirrors
seeking out the places
that live large in my mind,
stage crafting archetypes
of all manners and sorts,
mostly blind to
their own reflections.
the dour intelligentsia crowd,
the people pleasers,
those who wish
to exert exact control,
more rare are those
who want only to drift
in the current
of this universe
helping as they can
and feeling joy.
than a moment
in astronomic time.
is a thinly veiled memoir
that is either disingenuous,
reeking of some
shallow sophistication,
or clear-eyed
and painfully beautiful,
something that gives us
the space to grow
into our new dimension,
far beyond the
prosaic and paralyzing routine,
these invaluable sparks
of creativity, they
birth masterful
and hectic interludes
that remind us that
if we’re in that
proper place of balance
we never have
to choose between
the life of art
or the art of life.
if only we
have the courage
to train our eyes
to see and then learn
to love we we see of
our own reflection.
Let’s Keep In Touch
Today we dawned with the same criteria, ‘a world without mirrors, where people look for meaningful places in their minds’, difficult, but possible. ‘Facing archetypes that often ignore their own reflections’, we are all aware, but the fear of the new, of the non-daily, terrifies us. Yes, it is possible to balance life and art, to be honest and authentic, but we pursue stereotypes imposed by society itself.
It's very true, growth is difficult and painful for many!
I heard in a podcast somewhere (maybe Rogan) that human beings aren't built to look in the mirror as much as we currently do. It goes against our nature and is apparently messing with our wiring, hence part of the anxiety (interesting to note it's not all societal standards).
You're a beautiful writer, Eric. I love this in particular
Clear-eyed or disingenuous is an interesting distinction, I think. :)
That's interesting! I suppose their weren't many reflective surfaces long ago except for lakes or ponds. It makes sense that seeing our reflection would make us more narcissistic and force us to focus more outward than inward. Thank you, I really appreciate that @honeydue. I haven't enjoyed writing a poem as much as I did this one in quite some time. I tried a new approach, certain lines or phrases would come to me spontaneously and I typed them out in the Notes app of my phone. After a week I stitched all those lines together in a poem and it was quite interesting how it all came together. I hope you have a good week!
I have always admired people who have the ability to write poetry, and I love your compositions
It is very true what you say, it is up to us to be able to appreciate the life of art and fully enjoy the art of life.
Have a happy start to the weekHow are you dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon
Good morning! The weekend was a good one. Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it! I wish you a wonderful week.
I really like this part. I was thinking the other day about some of the really famous quotes that people like the old Roman Emperors supposedly said. It makes you wonder if they knew they were saying something profound at the time or if it was just kind of a throw away statement from them. That's what I was reminded of when I read this part.
Thanks! Yeah, it would be interesting to know if they were consciously making their speeches part of their legacies. I also wonder if they had speechwriters like modern-day politicians?
That is a good point. It might not really even be their own words!
I like it when poems make me think! That last stanza reminds me of an exercise I sometimes do with my students and that is to have them talk about how they are. It's amazing how difficult it is for them to talk about themselves and the idea they have of themselves is sometimes distorted. There is always an other that “reflects” us, that says how we are. How cruel we are with what we see in the mirror! As they said, as we get older, mirrors tend to be less friendly. Or the opposite is true. Good night, friends. Hugs
That would be a valuable exercise! I think it takes decades for most of us to discover who it is we really are. I do believe there's an inner core of our personality that remains the same throughout our lives, but like growth rings of a tree, we add new layers based on our experiences. That's true about the mirror! My aunt, who was in her eighties, always said she was surprised every morning to see the old woman looking back at her in the mirror because she still felt young. My dad would say the same thing. Thank you my friend. I hope you enjoyed your weekend Nancy!
Beautiful poetry about the world. Be yourself, always think positively and live peacefully are the keys to being happy. God bless you, Eric.
Thank you Eliana! God bless you too and I hope you have a wonderful week!
Excellent work as always, my friend.
Thanks Scott! I appreciate it.
You're welcome, my friend!
Every word and action is like a story hidden in the shadows. Some are fake, while others are simply beautiful. Those beautiful ones are genuine and encourage us to be our best.
A wonderful piece of poetry!
Thank you Edith!
This is so deep and insightful, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
You're welcome.
Every moment we have is our life, so we should be grateful with it ;)
I agree!
That's how life is made to learn new things and that's how we should keep learning new things
That's very important.
Yes
So much of powerful poem you have here. Sometimes we just need total reflection and it helps us to shape our lives
Thanks!
Beautiful poem, capturing the duality of being, reflected in its contradictions.
I appreciate it!
The poem is very beautiful and easy to read
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
This is a very creative piece of art, great poetry. I did enjoy reading.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
#hive #posh
So much of strong message you have here that is worth meditating on I must really confess