Illusions - A Poem
I sit by the Bodhi Tree.
I thirst,
and it rains.
I hunger,
and they bring me offerings,
of their own flesh.
I sit by the Bodhi Tree.
They ask me to see to their wounds,
but all I can see is the sun.
They ask me to listen to their pleas,
but all I can hear is the wind.
I sit by the Bodhi Tree.
I did not ask them to come,
or to call on me.
If they did not come,
I would not hunger.
Would they be,
(here)
without me?
If they did not come,
I would not thirst.
Would I be,
(here)
without them?
It's just us two,
me,
and the Bodhi Tree.
It's only me,
in this reality.
Come and sit with me,
by the Bodhi Tree.
This piece is written for the kind creatrix who is the reason I don't just let go, @mamadini.
Thanks to the @isleofwrite members who had told me the piece is ready as it was first written. Sometimes friends are also there for that, to not try and find changes when none are needed, but to tell you that you are ready to go out there to the world, where others will make demands of you.
This piece is the first of two that were written and are both contradictory and complementary in terms of themes. This one, if I had to call it out, employs "The Hermit" card from the Tarot, as its themes.
Check out my latest posts:
- Handling Flashback Scenes and Respecting Your Audience
- On Rise to Power & Falling - Mythic fiction.
- The Essence of Love - A poem.
Art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics
Top Image source.
Bottom image is The Hermit from the Rider-Waite Tarot, and is public domain.
© Guy Shalev 2018.
This piece feels so at peace with itself, Guy, and it washes over the reader, a wave of calm; Siddhartha would be pleased. ^_^
The acknowledgement that this existence is an illusion, yet also the duality that to exist untethered and pursue that of the hermit is to exist between the needs of the illusion and enlightenment, the sight of sound and sound of wind.
This poem just struck that chord with me on my first read, such strong messaging in its brevity, the invitation, the call to action, but not by force - by peace, contradistinctions.
Not to overstep, but the pairing of this with your next is such a cool bookend to all that is here, and all that will be - the push and pull of life, dare I get too macro.
Regardless, big fan, Guy - not going anywhere near that tree, I've got armor to polish, but a big fan, nonetheless.
Would Siddharta be pleased with how people are attached to him? That makes one wonder.
"Contradistinctions" is a nice one. I'm not actually going to comment on too much of what you said, because I feel that would defeat the purpose. This piece is an invitation for people to think and reach their own conclusion, with perhaps me being as forceful as to nod in what I think is the right direction, but no more than that.
And if you will not come to the tree, maybe the tree will come to you, to paraphrase an idiom about another "prophet," though Siddharta might not like that word ascribed to him either, and I think it's very imprecise as well.
<3
May the Muse bless you always; this is a deeply moving piece (as all your poetry is) that speaks to the Hermit, the inner light, the ever flame, yet, it warms and brings us (the readers/viewers) into the circumference of your illumination and deep well of insight.
Bravo!
::sits for a bit::
May my Muse, Creatrix be her job description, indeed bless me always <3
You know, the true core of The Hermit is indeed the ever-flame that lights the path, and yet, it is so small in that picture. Makes you wonder, is the hermit the true star, or the light? Is it the seeker, or the truth, that guides us?
And in poetry, isn't seeker and truth one and the same? Isn't that also the true lesson of most wise teachers? That seeking is truth itself?
Maybe you should indeed sit by for a while, and ponder these things with me.
Holy moly awesome. Thank you for sharing this with us all. I LOVED it!
each stanza was like a whisper in the plains breathed out under the canopy of a divine tree. I felt like it was a still place, a sacred place, a circle of peace and happiness, but not joy, like serenity in "what happens happens" without judgement either way on the "good" or "bad" of it.
I don't know what Bodhi tree is, but I want to hang out with you under it.
I'm not sure who "they are" or who "you" are. maybe a line that gives clarity to this? Are "they" villagers? the masses? humanity as a whole?" Even a small qualifier, like "they come to me from nearby towns to heal their wounds."
I enjoy how the repetition flows through each stanza like the rhythm of the moon, of the sun rising and falling, "
So soothing, like looking into a fire in the desert. Thank you!
It sounds as if you do know what it is, or at least, what it is, from the rest of your commentary, but some of your other questions are answered by answering what this tree is. The Bodhi Tree (and I see I need to go back and capitalize the T in the piece) is the Sacred Fig tree that Siddharta sat under when he reached enlightenment. Its name is similar to "Buddha" on purpose, because that's the meaning of the word.
"They" in the piece is everyone else, within the piece. The villagers, the kings, the ones seeking enlightenment as well. Who or what "they" references from my perspective, on the symbolic level, I'll leave for you to consider.
The "you" in my pieces is always the same person, and is referenced in the notes underneath the piece. Who or what it is within the piece? An illusion? The only thing that isn't? That ambiguous duality is maintained on purpose, because that is the nature of the piece and the ideas behind it.
Thank you for the kind words! This piece is much sparser than most of mine, but it truly feels elegant, like it came out just right :)
If I'm not mistaken, the idea behind was self reliance? They can come and go and it does not matter. One has reached the point of being self sustaining that everything else starts becoming a trivial matter.
Or maybe I interpreted the idea wrong.
It's poetry. Spelling it out takes some of the charm, and some of your ability to read yourself into the poem and take out of it what speaks to you.
If you still want to hear what I intended with this piece, feel free to hit me up on Discord via PMs :)
But, that read you proposed is definitely supported by the text, and that's all that really matters.