Poetry Notes

This poem was a suggested exercise from a peer poet. The exercise was to write a poem about who you are. This piece has more than a few lashings of my Buddhist philosophical leanings, but I feel I achieved a poem that is devoid of doctrines and dogmas; one that simply speaks from the centre of being. In it the speaker questions not only herself but the true nature of the universe. The lines:

Am I single

Perfected in my unique aloneness?

Do I end At the boundaries of my flesh

A tiny thing of carbon and water weave

Inconsequential

In the glacial grind of time?

ask if our existence as human beings results in disconnectedness from the cosmic flow of energy around us. Are we only our bodies? Is there nothing more? These lines ask the question 'Is there a God?' without asking it directly, keeping the focus on the speaker rather than pulling the piece into a religious feel. The remainder of the poem is her answer to the issues raised. She states:

If that is the lay of the land I am blind

indicating that if there is nothing more than mortal existence she does not see it that way. The speaker discusses her personal connection with the universe, how while her body is at home her mind and soul can explore beyond the confines of flesh:

Sitting in my parlour

I lap the water in the bay,

I climb the mountain sides,

I float to the stars.

The final lines:

There are no differences;

There are no distinctions.

See that chair in the corner?

That's me.

state her feeling of connectedness to all things. At an atomic level, the atoms of the water, the mountains, the stars, and even the chair are the same as the atoms composing the speaker's body. She is the water, the mountains, the stars, and the chair, as they are the speaker.