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Smoke ~ Poetry Thursday
June 22, 2006
Asian Smoke ~ Canon 30d
Light-winged Smoke, Icarian bird,
Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight,
Lark without song, and messenger of dawn
Circling above the hamlets as they nest;
Or else, departing dream, and shadowy form
Of midnight vision, gathering up thy skirts;
By night star-veiling, and by day
Darkening the light and blotting out the sun;
Go thou my incense upward from this hearth,
And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Henry David probably did not have an image of the Asian Grill in his mind's eye when he composed this poem. Still, the nature of smoke remains the same whether we find it rising from a simple campfire, or billowing from the teriyaki grill at the local fair. This image speaks of smokescreens, illusions, and seeing without clear vision. What star-veiling thoughts keep us from seeing the brilliant constellations of our lives clearly?
It is a misconception that the goal of meditation is to completely empty the mind. It is not. Our thoughts are just thoughts. They may be true, false, helpful, or hurtful. They can snare us in the web of the past, or propel us to constantly run away from the present moment, grasping toward the future. The goal of meditation is to truly see the present moment ~ the here and now ~ as it truly is. Most of us run from reality. Vipassana meditation teaches reality is all we really have, and true happiness can only be found by reaching through the illusory smoke in our minds to lovingly embrace it. Accepting our lives, accepting ourselves as we are without harsh judgement, is the first step toward creating a healthier, clear-seeing world.
This isn't an easy to pull off in world that tells us we would be nothing without our thoughts. "I think, therefore I am." Maybe Descartes was wrong. We are not separate, we are interconnected ~ therefore we are.
{Marilyn of California Fever posted a great poem today called Clothesline. Why not bee-bop on over for a taste?}
Posted by vincent at June 22, 2006 06:43 AM
Comments
Therefore we ARE. I really like that thought, Susan. We are all interconnected. Someone told me at book club that she read that we are all saints meant to help each other. I always considered my friends and helpful family members to be angels in my life. The present moment is us.
Posted by: janet at June 22, 2006 12:47 PM
I love this phrase, "star-veiling thoughts."
Posted by: Lynn at June 24, 2006 02:02 PM