Precipice
Grasping fingers save a possible fall.
Grab the sharpish grass, those small cuts martyr
Hands that gripped the slightest horn of hold
Ascending time's sheer wall.
Rise and look, feel fully, hear it well,
This spectacle, and please do not want more.
Nature out and in, the river, thoughtstream,
Panoramic heaven, sweeping hell.
Ask the bird; it wings, that is its task.
Ask the tree: its answer is to grow.
Ask the bending meadow, ask the river,
Ask yourself; your answer is to ask.
So again that anguish rises strong
Again such toil for nothing, wasted fray,
When with ease and ringing fear a sidestep -
A dive to where you live, there all along.
And diving, dive into the frightening others.
And falling, fall into the fruitless battles;
So flying, to the base, and to the home,
Spinning all the tales of all our brothers.
Plummet through conclusions swift dismissed.
Rocket through assumptions banished fully.
Plunge amongst rejected, blessed comfort,
Not the goal, or needful to resist.
The grassy meadow bed will do on landing.
Along can come what may, a bear, a wren,
Forever in repose, forever standing,
No more "to be" and nevermore "again".
-Suzanne Foxton
The clip is from Little House on the Prairie, which doubtless had a strong influence on my persona's formation as I was nearly obsessed with it age 10-12 or so. Unfortunately I couldn't find a shorter clip, so for the purposes of comedy, stop watching after Mrs. Olsen says "It's a miracle!". Sometimes, the story unfolds in such a way that only a push will get us over the edge.
Grab the sharpish grass, those small cuts martyr
Hands that gripped the slightest horn of hold
Ascending time's sheer wall.
Rise and look, feel fully, hear it well,
This spectacle, and please do not want more.
Nature out and in, the river, thoughtstream,
Panoramic heaven, sweeping hell.
Ask the bird; it wings, that is its task.
Ask the tree: its answer is to grow.
Ask the bending meadow, ask the river,
Ask yourself; your answer is to ask.
So again that anguish rises strong
Again such toil for nothing, wasted fray,
When with ease and ringing fear a sidestep -
A dive to where you live, there all along.
And diving, dive into the frightening others.
And falling, fall into the fruitless battles;
So flying, to the base, and to the home,
Spinning all the tales of all our brothers.
Plummet through conclusions swift dismissed.
Rocket through assumptions banished fully.
Plunge amongst rejected, blessed comfort,
Not the goal, or needful to resist.
The grassy meadow bed will do on landing.
Along can come what may, a bear, a wren,
Forever in repose, forever standing,
No more "to be" and nevermore "again".
-Suzanne Foxton
The clip is from Little House on the Prairie, which doubtless had a strong influence on my persona's formation as I was nearly obsessed with it age 10-12 or so. Unfortunately I couldn't find a shorter clip, so for the purposes of comedy, stop watching after Mrs. Olsen says "It's a miracle!". Sometimes, the story unfolds in such a way that only a push will get us over the edge.
38 comments:
Little House on the Prairie! I didn't see that episode, but I'm so glad the clip you linked featured Mrs Olsen. The show wouldn't have worked without her. My favourite episode was the one in which she got 'the vapours' and the doctor said she just had gas. Who did you want to be in that show?
Laura, of course. The main character.
'You' have a gift when it comes to writing and also when it comes to your poetry. Impressive Suzy.
Oneness thanks you Nicholas arising as me!
Dear NOP,
Such a delightful -- if not frightening -- mirror is this.
XOXO
Love,
-Leslie
The Bard seems to be arising in you as well. Such density. Great stuff!
I couldn't view the clip. There is a white space where it should appear. Same thing happened on my site. A white space appeared where I wanted a video to be. Despite appearance of code, nothing exists. Mysteries!
LOL! Great clip. I remember watching Little House on the Prairie and thinking that girl was such an annoying brat. In fact, I remember watching that very episode and rejoicing at the end. :)
Hey Leslie, nothing wrong with a little fear.
Hey Brenda, sorry you can't see it, try going to Youtube and search "Bunny uncut" or "Nelly Laura wheelchair". Seems to be working for everyone I checked with. And that's not the first time I've been called dense!
Hey Christine, Allison Arngrim took that Nelly role and hammed it, cheesed it, then ate it up whole. Her unattractive whiny crying is genius. They still have Little House reunions and mini conventions, and she's always the most popular cast member. Nelly Olsen rules!
Ask the bird; it wings, that is its task.
Ask the tree: its answer is to grow.
Ask the bending meadow, ask the river,
Ask yourself; your answer is to ask.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/gulf-oil-spill-photos-ani_n_560813.html
Plummet through conclusions swift dismissed.
Rocket through assumptions banished fully.
Plunge amongst rejected, blessed comfort,
Not the goal, or needful to resist.
Please tell me what were the conclusions, assumptions and beliefs those creatures entertained when asserting all they are to reject adn resist the disaster and mess of 'what is'?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/gulf-oil-spill-photos-ani_n_560813.html
The grassy meadow bed will do on landing.
Along can come what may, a bear, a wren,
Forever in repose, forever standing,
No more "to be" and nevermore "again".
What comfort does 'what is' actualize for these creatures ...
The only 'grassy meadow' is that of your oblivious imagination -- the only comfort is that of your deceptions and delusions ... the only story is your story of no-story ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/gulf-oil-spill-photos-ani_n_560813.html
Hey Anonymous Dude (or Dudette), there's always something terrible going on somewhere, one worse than the next...maybe some of the comforting conclusions are that you CAN'T do anything to help. Maybe with less fear, there is more creative action. Maybe "my" deceptions and delusions mirror your own fears, fears of what "the world is coming to". Perhaps what you fear is mass apathy, so that is what you project onto the poem, which is open to interpretation (as is so much we experience). So let's just forget about all this blah-blah, grab some dishwashing liquid, get out there and do some bird-scrubbing!
Fear? Why do you bring it? Do you see how you immediately go off in circle feeding yourself (about the messenger) with stories so you can frame and tell other stories you favor and feel comfortable with--and avoid the real issues. What a naughty imagination ;) Why this tendency and inclination to go at the messenger as opposed to the message, and more essentially the actuality and fact it stands for? If anything is everything and everything is anything ... If the bad is just the same and as acceptable as the good why would one's character matter? Why favoring one character over another, why emphasizing, grasping and fixating on one and not the other ... What would be wrong with fear?
But I am not afraid :) I hope you got a kick trying to imagine by inner life because assessed on their accuracy there is nothing of value in your speculations.
On the other hand, those poor creatures are afraid ... if you can't see fear in their eyes as they struggle then ... if you can't see it in the eyes of the jobless fisherman or restaurant owners now without business and wondering how she will feed her two-year old then ...
If reality is always reality, all that there is, and only that is relevant, why do you or imply that I, or anyone else for that matter, should prefer creative action to destruction? Why do you propose (disingenuously and as a sad excuse since you are far far away in UK; but I guess cheap verbal ploys is all you got to hide your inconsistencies and contradictions) to "grab some dishwashing liquid, get out there and do some bird-scrubbing", as opposed to just sit on our arses and enjoy the misery unfolding?
Regarding cheap ploys ... you wrote: So let's just forget about all this blah-blah ...
No. I'm not playing your game of mass delusion. I don't abuse of the insufficiencies of language as a pretext and excuse to run away from reality as you favor. Right NOW, birds are struggling and suffering, covered of oil, and there is no blah-blah-blah into that since they can't speak ... By letting your ignorance stand forgotten, you shall repeat the same mistakes, judged by the suffering they perpetuate ... Your insight and view of 'harmony', (absolute) acceptance and unity is superficial and naive. Accepting in the way you do the negative is moronic -- a compromise. Ironically and comically, your way to accept the negative is a form of rejection of reality: you deny the 'false' its status 'as the false' ('seeing the false as false' as some would say). You try to make it something that it is not. Sounds familiar ... Instead, the negative must be explored and understood for what it is: but that is something you refuse to do, indulging yourself with pathetic excuses like "So let's just forget about all this blah-blah"
;)
Anonymous, thank you for the lesson in seeing the false as the false and exploring & understanding the negative for what it is!
Hey Anonymous, I want to come back and give a more comprehensive answer, but appearances are I'm a bit busy today. Will respond ASAP.
OK, whew, have a couple of (nonexistent but persistently actual) minutes to sit down.
Well...it's nice to get some challenging commentary.
I gather from your original post that you're concerned with the plight of the Earth, as embodied by the suffering of the oil-soaked wildlife. You seem to be upset by the spectacle of what man's interference with the environment has engendered, and take my poem to be saying something along the lines of "Yes, that's ok, it's all ok, everything's ok, even the suffering wildlife." My somewhat rushed reply was simply meant to point out that the poem can be interpreted several ways; I actually meant it as "question everything you've ever assumed".
I wrote that you may be fearful - and note I usually use "may" or "perhaps" or "maybe" because I obviously don't know. You say you aren't, but I don't know if that's true either; I have to trust your honesty. Honesty is often possible even when truth is elusive. You certainly seem angry, and where anger is, fear lurks not far behind...at least in the unfolding story of the human psyche as I understand it. There is absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with fear; for example, it has a long and happy history of keeping mankind alive. Fear is just another thing that comes up. I don't think I did imply that you, or I, or anyone should prefer creative action to destruction. I suggested that MAYBE with less fear there is more creativity. There is creation, and destruction, in this wild game of life. One needs the other. There certainly seems to be those preferences, one or the other depending on who you're talking to and what kind of a mood they're in.
I suppose what I was saying is: if you're passionate about the wildlife, go and help. I may not be able to personally go out and do some bird-scrubbing, but it was a nominal "let's" rather than a literal one.
I don't know that I have any cohesive version of how to live life, or any particular philosophy, certainly not harmony, absolute acceptance and unity...although those philosophies may very well come up, for whomever. In the blog I gas on and on about there's nothing wrong, this is utopia, it's unfolding perfectly, stuff like that; that however it's unfolding, we're just lucky it's unfolding. All the value judgements about it all, and it all itself, are a decided bonus. EVERYTHING comes up, in reality. Running from it doesn't seem like an option. Who's gonna run from what?
If I'm denying the false as the false, or accepting the negative in a moronic fashion, or neglecting to explore and understand the negative for what it is, well then, I guess that's what I'm doing as you see it. How would you correct me? What should my thoughts and feelings and actions be?
And why on Earth do you keep winking at me? ;-D
Just remember - I'm always available for a hug, virtual if not actual.
My dear Suzanne you get it all wrong, either about my inner life or views. I'm not trying to tell you that I'm not ok with what is happening in the Gulf; forget about me. I am telling you that reality is telling you that everything is not ok. Forget about me for an instant. Those birds, by their strive and struggles, show the naivity and inaccuracy of your narratives--are evidence of what may be wrong with it.
You write: You certainly seem angry, and where anger is, fear lurks not far behind...
Both Hakuin and Nisargadatta were quite famous for their 'angryness' and agressiveness: were they angry, afraid, pissed off at something, etc? You take the easy road--but why should I expect otherwise ... Go ahead fantasize as much as you want about the intentions underlying my posts--you will then just miss the posts for what they are.
Your write: I don't know that I have any cohesive version of how to live life, or any particular philosophy, certainly not harmony, absolute acceptance and unity...
I believe you have written the following:
"If you read the blog carefully (and please, I wouldn't recommend it, be careful with your precious time) I don't decry the ego, but celebrate it. I don't decry anything. This is what loads of readers object to: absolute acceptance."
http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2010/04/focus-on-experiences-or-the-experiencer-the-big-spiritual-divide.html?cid=6a00d83451c0aa69e20133ed1009be970b
Hey Anonymous, perhaps your identity is pachydermal.
I'm still not decrying anything, and that seems to be objectionable to you. That can certainly be labeled "absolute acceptance" but that's not really the be-all and end-all of the blog; it's simply what people seem to object to most.
I don't take the easy road or the hard road or the medium road. I take the road, whatever it seems to be, and it seems all of those things from "time" to "time".
Anonymous, I can't really write anything that your ego, persona, whatever will identify with. There is no pleasing you and that is your role. You have a very definite story rolling out and that's fine. I try to write about what we are, most fundamentally; it is before all the judgement, simply what all apparent experience arises in...and is indistinguishable from what seems to experience it. You just don't buy the whole nonduality thing, and that's absolutely fine. I suppose what writers like myself are trying to say is that freed from the moral judgments of the mind, a kind of natural morality ensues. If one is even interested in morality.
I don't mind being judged as naive, or misguided, or called any number of names, and it doesn't matter if I mind or not. I hold that you certainly seem het up by something. But there's nothing wrong with anger, or with fear.
"I am telling you that reality is telling you that everything is not ok." Well, everything not being OK is, indeed, what reality is telling me; and it's also telling me that sometimes things are not OK, sometimes they are. It's a step back; being OK with not-ok-ness. Still feeling anger, and grief, and desire, yet there not being anything "wrong" with those things; witnessing great hardship and sorrow, and knowing that this is how it is, because that IS what is; and this kind of resignation (or acceptance!) need not result in apathy, or a lack of compassion, if action and compassion are what is needed, or seem to be. Anything and everything may unfold, and does.
I don't think your ego will ever persuade mine that there is something horribly wrong with how reality unfolds, if that, indeed, is what you are trying to do. But don't give up!
Hug offer still holds.
Oops! I just posted a response to this post under the 5/24 post "This shall end..." Pardon my error- perhaps you could copy and paste my response into this post where I meant to have it? Or copy and paste in an email to me and I will repost correctly? My email is colleen.loehr@gmail.com. Thanks! Or just leave the post in the "wrong" place? Whatever makes sense...:)
I haven't read the comments, but what this poem says to me is: there is no need to avoid anything.
Avoiding is clinging to the top of the precipice.
Not avoiding is dropping into what is as it is, going over the cliff edge...
The beauty of a poem is that it means something different to every consciousness that absorbs it, and maybe something entirely different than what the author felt they were communicating. My experience of this poem is the freedom of falling into all the feelings and mind-states which had been judged as "off limits" in some way. It's the integration of all that had been rejected.
The video also communicates this "waking down" (rather than "waking up") was funny to watch.
I also like the rich texture, vibrancy, and softness of the art work with this post.
Today I finally watched the interview on Conscious TV and I loved it. What hit me most is what you say about how hard we are on ourselves, and how every person has worth in existing. Thank you Suzanne!
Hey Colleen, thanks for the lovely comments. Fixed the comment location, or maybe located the comment fixation!
Birds do not have a sense of self that constantly makes an assessment of their condition. If they did, they would not be frikkin' birds. They could care less about being covered in oil.
So the birds are telling Suzanne that her views on reality are wrong?
Sounds like Anonymous wants to pick a fight.
"Avoiding is clinging to the top of the precipice.
Not avoiding is dropping into what is as it is, going over the cliff edge..."
Uh-oh...no doubt I'm clinging to the top of the precipice.
"My experience of this poem is the freedom of falling into all the feelings and mind-states which had been judged as "off limits" in some way. It's the integration of all that had been rejected." Integration of anger, sadness and fear? I thought I was brave but it seems I, too, would have to be pushed as I have no idea how to integrate that other than accept them.
xoxo
-Leslie
-Leslie
Hey Willie, Anonymous is just enjoying him-/herself. Which is great!
Hey Leslie, maybe the less you do, the more things seem to integrate.
A perfect and simple answer...thanks Suzanne.
xoxo
Hey Leslie, yo.
Yo!...the new Zen swap. :^)
There can sometimes be the acceptance of this life 'rotting' -- since I signed up for this -- but not so easy seeing my kids life 'rotting'...
-L.
Hey Leslie, it can sure seem to suck sometimes, but without life sucking, there would be no life breathing.
What can I say. I thought I was reading Shakespeare. Your writing is getting clearer, at least to this dense soul.
One to One is One. Nonlinear. So who's talking?
Thanks for for checking on me now and then and dragging me out of my silence.
Hey Maury, thanks, and my pleasure.
Thank you Suzanne and thanks Colleen!
(Now)breathe and jump...
XOXO
-Leslie
That video is a riot! Thanks for sharing. I was also obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. Oh the dramas we create:-)
Hey Lisa. Remember when Albert accidentally burned down the blind school (smoking) and killed Mary's baby? Talk about suffering! It's not all fun stuff like shoving girls down a hill in a wheelchair!
One, one, peace in the special relationship, oil on troubled waters.Most excellent poem. Can anybody win or lose? Cheers and keep on trucking.
Thanks Ian, and I will.
Enjoyed the blog, and the memories of Laura and Nellie, too.
Hope your day is one of love, compassion, and joy!
Hi Diane - thanks - and even if it's full of indifference, selfishness and misery, it'll be just fine.
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