Start at the bottom
look at every whorl and ridge
on the soul of your feet
move upward to see
every strand of hair left on you head.
Inspect the dimples, pimples, scars, bridges
and birthmarks in between
and all you will ever see is the suitcase holding you.
Even the best made trunk will wear out,
zippers will break, corners shred,
no matter its quality, care and, craftsmanship,
the thing will have seen more useful days,
it will eventually inevitably have had its last trip.
Start at the bottom
look to the very first memory you have
work your way up through the days of your life
look at every thought, decision and, action
that comes those that arrive are the unforgettable.
You will still only be seeing the clothes and masks
contained in that case, some wonderful, some regrettable
yet you still will not be seeing you, only an accumulation
of tasks.
Though every item contained in there is important
Has memory of learning’s value and worth.
It still is not yet you, only your deportment
that became the you, your being now from birth
what the nouns around you are now seeing.
Now look inside
to the outside of the case, clothes of memories
at the first thing you see, feel what you feel about that
noun.
Do you smile or shrug, do you have apathy, empathy,
curse or, love the person, place or thing your heart has
alit upon?
We have come time to leave this advertisement callously
cliché filled world and make our way as nakedly as we can
as one whole, together complete, our lives lived individually.
See what you see but then what you see know then that
is what you will feel, be it pleasure or torment
that will be your wardrobe decision of the moment.
I have felt my fears and found I need them no more.
I have felt my hatreds and found I need them no more.
I have believed the mass advertised lies and found I need
them no more.
I feel the breath of creation on my naked human being
and found I need nothing more, no case, no clothes,
the whisper of creation lifts me, sustains all my living.
© M Durfee
7/28/1954—2013
ya ... let's get naked and expose our vulnerability ... see how far that get's us in this lovely society ... every night I take care of a whole bunch of people like that in my psych ward ... so it's better to wear some kind of protective gear, mmmh? PS: Where have you been Walking Man ? Walked out on me ... or something ... Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteNo if by becoming free it takes me to a locked ward then I am still free, it is our vulnerabilities that show us where our strength is. I need no power other than the faith (not belief) that the creator of the cosmos will continue to cover me.
DeleteI needed time to thin a few things out. Plus i was out of town for 10 whole days.
Though every item contained in there is important
ReplyDeleteHas memory of learning’s value and worth.
It still is not yet you, only your deportment
Every experience has a value to the owner of it.
Deletethere is some freedom found in that nakedness...in no longer needing the tears and the angers...coming to that nothingness and finding everything you need for living...
ReplyDeletemissed you brother.
Missed you too Brian. The whole Detroit thing had me fucked up for awhile and we got out of town for 10 days or so.
DeleteFinding the room in the mansion of the heart that is empty of all but the power of love will ensure that no need goes unmet, no life not worth living.
Our suitcases...battered and used. The way they should be. I adored this, Mark. It resonates...
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest Talon, I wish mine wasn't so battered but then that is why they make pain killers. But the body is the least part of us all and the older I get the more I realize that it is the most temporary part of me.
DeleteDamn, my suitcase is pretty effing battered. Where can I pick up a new one?
ReplyDeleteCharles if anyone should know how to alleviate the physical pain...but if you do not like the drugs there is always the Zen road, many of those scars get erased in the mind and only affect the skin.
DeleteIt's the first step, indeed.
ReplyDeleteRosaria, oddly enough I have met too many people who never get past the knowledge of the case and don't look to see what is inside. Get past it and walk free from there all questions have answers, then you become the answer simply by living.
DeleteI feel the breath of creation on my naked human being
ReplyDeleteand found I need nothing more, no case, no clothes,
the whisper of creation lifts me, sustains all my living.
Plagiarism is the Highest compliment.
Punch feel free-it's not plagiarism if I give it freely.
Delete"...there's more enterprise/In walking naked."--WB Yeats
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it. Walk on, sir!
ds I don't read any poetry other than what my friends at the sidebar write anymore. Jaysus I think my grandmother was the last to read Yeats to me. But if we are talking on the same subject then the two combine to make a simple objective truth.
DeleteAll I want is for them alive today who are becoming daily more enslaved by fear to break free and stand in their rightful place in the universe.
WOW!! I LOVE this one! I want to LIVE this one! Having now met u face to face, these words carry so much meaning and they are beautiful and powerfulL. Did ur trip here inspire you?
ReplyDeleteYou just inspired me.
I will admit that i think of some people when I write Candace. I don't use prompts or suggestions except from my heart and I will admit our meeting touched me and the things we talked of are dear to me and now I hope you too.
DeleteI wish it is as easy as you write it to be but it's a journey of packing and deciding where to go and finally settling in to discover one's inner light & freedom ~ I specially like the ending and hope it's something we can all do in the end ~
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week Mark ~
Grace, thank you for the ever present wish of love in my days.
DeleteI once thought it a hard journey to come to the essence of man, then one day awhile back i realized that all I needed to do was simply strip away everything I ever was taught about right and wrong and then walk unloading baggage as i went and finally shedding all of the clothes and masks, what i found there was peace of heart and freedom of soul to rise. I can not wait for an ending to walk in places i am already joined to; be it the cosmos or the spirit that created that cosmos. And if i am wrong then i will still walk most of the rest of the days of my life in peace and freedom of fear.
I love that realization, stripping away and finding your own voice ~ I have yet to come to that place, maybe when all the children are grown and not living with us anymore ~ For the moment, I am burdened with carrying all the baggages of the house ~
DeleteMark-It's your 'mental nudity' that has freed you. Oh, and I got a groovy new suitcase for my birthday! xo
ReplyDeleteSpiritual nudity Jodi makes me free and weightless. I gave this poem for my birthday, I hope yours was a great one.
DeleteA great read, Mark. I know that I have been clothed in many layers that society has put on me. I am still wary of revealing too much to people and being "naked" in front of them. But to be free in the mind without people around is so good. I see and feel that every time I am on the boat, digging in the garden, or this week, hiking those mountain trails.
ReplyDelete