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Retired from 10 years in the Canadian Navy, and 28 years in the Canadian Diplomatic Service, with postings in Beijing, Mexico City, Sri Lanka, Romania, Abu Dhabi, Guyana, Ireland, Trinidad, and, last but not least, India.

Monday 15 January 2018

Transient



A cornerstone of collective psyche
is the sense of “just passing through”;
and, folksy aphorisms notwithstanding,
we understand that this is true.

This weight of intuitive knowledge
comes with great emotional cost,
as we tend to lament “might-have-been”
and dwell on a past that is lost.

We traditionally build our gods
to offer salvation from life’s fray,
focussing on a heaven tomorrow
rather than building one here, today.

Our short lives are but a flicker,
a brief flash of intense light,
by which we must illuminate the Now
that precedes our cosmic night.

1 comment:

lucy croft said...

Weirdly, this morning out for a walk, I was thinking and feeling the essense of exactly what your poem expresses. It's simple really but so damn complicated. Love the poem.

The Ancient Hippie

The Ancient Hippie
Natraj dances with us all.

Welcome, and Namaste

Greetings fellow travellers,

For you American friends visiting, you will notice that this old Canadian uses Canadian English in this blog: kindly bear with me. As I blog primarily on subjects that are vitally interesting to me, I appreciate all feedback.

As I tend to be a bit of a language usage freak, I will, as required, edit obscenity and rude comments. That said, I welcome your opinions and discussion.

May your Dharma be clear

Peace

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumb'red here,
While these visions did appear."


Puck’s epilogue to A Midsummer Night’s Dream