Bruce Whealton: On Being a Poet and Other Existential Ideas

Posts Tagged ‘spiritual realm’

The exercise goes like this…
we are going to find an image that depicts
a concept of the spiritual realm,
or heaven,
or something glorious.
So to continue,
we are told to
find a photograph,
from among many.
One will jump out at you,
if you prepare your mind correctly,
I am told.
And when one does jump out at you,
just stare at the image
that makes just the right impression.

Then show us the image in a poem
give the reader an insight
into that concept of
the spiritual -
that glorious realm of the spiritual.

So, I found those images,
on many pages
on the web,
many of them,
that were tagged by others as
being just that -
images tagged with terms like
spiritual
or glorious
or heaven or angels -
Visionary images from visionary minds.

My mind seemed to become
angered by this
exercise in futility.
There can be nothing,
by definition!
Our senses only perceive the
natural -
the natural world -
by definition!
By darn!

What can it mean,
to perceive the supernatural? -
The spiritual?

We can only speculate
upon such matters,
and for that reason,
I found nothing.

You’d think my mind was closed!
Or perhaps,
I’m being stubborn!
But I tell you,
my mind was open,
and yet this is what I found
to be…
to be the truth!
How I wish I was wrong!

Bruce Whealton March 16, 2009

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