When nameless terror seizes me In ways that are impossible to articulate The body is no longer an open doorway Becoming instead an unscalable wall Sometimes frozen harder than the thawing tundra While the mind in a kafkaesque spiral Is haunted by loss both real and imagined All misguided attempts to banish grief Inevitably issuing an invitation to despair
Very well put; insightful and (in a strange way) uplifting. Uplifting? Because taboo subjects help no-one. The only way out is through, indeed.
I have noted several comments in the last week about despair -- and I think my next fortnightly poem will be on that topic too. It's better to bring 'it' out to the light, otherwise it festers inside and causes mischief, and saps one's energy.
The thing is we live in this globalised culture which relentlessly assures us that everything can be “fixed”. And it is this same culture that is simultaneously engaged in tearing down the earth because somewhere along the way the myth of “human supremacy” has entirely captured us. But there are so many cracks in this storytelling that the monsters of despair are always able to make a grab for us.
Thank you for reading Joshua. And for your writing too - it is a salve.
We live in the "Anthropocene" era, where humans believe they have a right to use Mother Earth (and weaker people) for their own aggrandisement. Technology messes things up, then with a great fanfare the next 'technology-fix' is announced. Currently AI is supposed to be our next saviour. (It will likely do the opposite, leading to people having less ability to think clearly, and think critically for themselves). In such times I find creative pursuits are my 'saviour' (well, at least I feel better when I'm engaged in them). You can find a couple of them here: https://joshuabondyarnshifting.substack.com/p/yarnshifting-chapter-8
Meanwhile it's time, globally, for the Symbiocene, something my wife (Veronika Bond) writes about here on Substack with her channels on the Symbiopaedia, and Synchronosophy.
The learning often feels like a staccato path. Despair cannot be wished away even while it is literally a suffocation. "The only way is through" sounds like cliche but it is not.
Thank you seems like such an inadequate expression to describe how much I appreciate having your warm connection through this portal.
Very well put; insightful and (in a strange way) uplifting. Uplifting? Because taboo subjects help no-one. The only way out is through, indeed.
I have noted several comments in the last week about despair -- and I think my next fortnightly poem will be on that topic too. It's better to bring 'it' out to the light, otherwise it festers inside and causes mischief, and saps one's energy.
The thing is we live in this globalised culture which relentlessly assures us that everything can be “fixed”. And it is this same culture that is simultaneously engaged in tearing down the earth because somewhere along the way the myth of “human supremacy” has entirely captured us. But there are so many cracks in this storytelling that the monsters of despair are always able to make a grab for us.
Thank you for reading Joshua. And for your writing too - it is a salve.
We live in the "Anthropocene" era, where humans believe they have a right to use Mother Earth (and weaker people) for their own aggrandisement. Technology messes things up, then with a great fanfare the next 'technology-fix' is announced. Currently AI is supposed to be our next saviour. (It will likely do the opposite, leading to people having less ability to think clearly, and think critically for themselves). In such times I find creative pursuits are my 'saviour' (well, at least I feel better when I'm engaged in them). You can find a couple of them here: https://joshuabondyarnshifting.substack.com/p/yarnshifting-chapter-8
Meanwhile it's time, globally, for the Symbiocene, something my wife (Veronika Bond) writes about here on Substack with her channels on the Symbiopaedia, and Synchronosophy.
Are you learning? I find that I am, more and more often anyway. I guess experiencing these two-sided coins of nirvana/samsara require some practice.
Thank you again for describing so eloquently what I and so many others are going through, Jayasree!
The learning often feels like a staccato path. Despair cannot be wished away even while it is literally a suffocation. "The only way is through" sounds like cliche but it is not.
Thank you seems like such an inadequate expression to describe how much I appreciate having your warm connection through this portal.
"The only way is through" reminded me of this marvelous interview with Susan Murphy Roshi: https://emergencemagazine.org/conversation/earth-as-koan-earth-as-self/
Maybe you will enjoy it too.
I am very grateful for your poetry, Jayasree. These are hard times, and they help me so.
short simple yet cathartic