Some days
all I can find is
Page One,
and of course what follows,
what multiplies, what complicates,
confuses, makes me want
to start over. And
there I am, on Page One.
Shouldn't I be on page 10?
or page 12? or at least page 5?
... I understand this only dimly:
I'm the one who started on
Page One, and there must
I always begin again.
Page One
is a lonely place.
When I look around, no one.
I spin on my immediate axis,
fast, faster, even faster,
then slower, then stationary,
suddenly stationary,
my head reeling
and stopping at the same moment -
here am I on
Page One, but
wiser, less grasping,
with not a trace of vanity,
ready to watch and learn.
The Master Volume
sends out
mission experts.
They are serious young people,
capable of communicating
in seven languages.
They wear no masks, their faces
reveal true emotions. Take
your pick. You can't go wrong.
If you don't need their help
to reach page 2,
ignore them rudely. They will
move on, hesitantly,
seeking the ones in need.
'So, you're still on
Page One. I'm Sebastian:
one day I will die
in exquisite agony
for a new and beautiful god.
In the meantime, I serve
among these shadowy helpers.
That's Lionel, who bends
the I Ching to his will;
that's Adrian, who can look
at any spread of Tarot cards
and select the coolest future;
there's Eleanor of the Witch Pack,
who cannot often be trusted.
'There's Cassandra, way in back,
who's lovely, ingenuous and mute...
Who would have thought
so many electric
figures would occupy Page One?
The energy is dazzling! Someone
on page 12, at this moment,
claims it is blinding her
further progress. Out of courtesy,
it's time for you to move on,
at least to move off,
ideally shut
things off, reduce
the brilliance to a glow.
'That's your signal, Ephebe.
The others (You didn't notice
their departures.) are running
toward page 2. Don't you crave
to join their rush and riot?
Look! One of them turns around,
his lips are moving, but he's
too far ahead of us to hear him.
Us? Actually it's only
you. I'm just a voice
in your head, an impulse
in your gut, a readiness
in your disposition.
Can you make sense of my presence?
'Don't you get it yet?
I'm bored stuck here
at the starting point.
I'm getting annoyed
by the sameness of this place.
I feel the tug from energy
sources out there...
I'm breathing the earliest
sweet smells of a distant spring.
Isn't that what you yearn for?
Breathe and smile. Do you get it now?
I'm letting go, hands free,
eyes closed, facing
another direction which promises - '
Page One is a comfortable
place. It's the Island of
the Lotus Eaters, not far,
in a fast ship, from Calypso's
Ortygia, where a goddess yearns
for me, and prepares a cup
of nectar. Circe could be a problem,
but with 'moly's' help
I'll survive a whole year,
enjoy the happiest sex,
surrounded by tamed animals
who are also stuck on Page One.
I see the detritus of adventure -
bronze swords, embossed shields,
the broken rudder of a mighty ship,
torn pieces of black and white
sails, a staff of authority
for speakers in an Assembly,
coins from kingdoms ringing
the Mediterranean, a treasury
of gems - all scattered along
the wide shoreline of Page One.
What does all of this mean?
What impulse? What voice?
What readiness? Is my odyssey
a book whose pages I turn
one by one? or is mine
the journey outward, into -
TERRA INCOGNITO! The very phrase
itself is electric. To speak it
is to repeat it, repeat it
faster and faster. It's become
a chant, an incantation,
something more than speech, beyond
words, a spell
of creation, a musical phrase,
music itself. This is no longer
just my voice. I-joined to
a chorus of others,
we-harmonized into swelling
sounds, a symphony
spreading across lands, seas,
skies. O, the spacious air!
I'm tumbling, I'm careening,
I - no, WE are in flight
far above places with numbers,
beyond beginning and ending.
Our thoughts are dissolving
into a hum of perfect meaning...
That symphony
carries US, contains US,
recreates US. Our memories
fade into the 'plenum'.
WE were so alike, stuck on
Page One. WE are raised above it.
WE are flying free, together, whole -
This symphony is the World!
Reading this poem has been a real odyssey...... but enjoyed every bit, though got stuck on Page One for a long time. We all experience the writer's block one time or the other. At times we feel so very frustrated when we see others progressing ahead with much speed to page 10 or 12 and we still stranded at the starting. Sometimes we are so indolent and feel inclined not to move on as 'Page One is a comfortable place. It is the Island of the Lotus Eaters'. But again the realization comes..Like Odysseus we have to continue the quest and we use all our might! Surprisingly we get over that stagnation...get out of the doldrum and feel ourselves 'tumbling.... no, careening far above places with numbers beyond beginning and ending' A poem of epic proportions! Enjoyed!
........loved reading this wonderful poem....this second reading was as good as the first time I read it.....very nice poem....wish I wrote this one...
..........wow beautifully done.....this poem is kind of like a fireworks show....at first you only see a few....but at the end it's many explosions of stars.....and i must confess i read your poet's notes first.....i like your reference to the odyssey it is one of my favourites......truly for me the best part was when odysseus came home......
I can tell that you really put a lot of time into this poem. kudos to you for being brave enough to let your imagination run wild, document its race, and publish it for all to see! I've seen quite a few poems on writer's block but never one so long and unblocked! lol Reading this was such an exciting fantastic(literally) journey. The imagery here as always, was unbelievably crisp and palpable. I also love your references to The Odyssey here. I'm glad you mentioned Calypso too since her part in the story was always my favorite and the most unforgettable. Its funny, I never linked The Odyssey to writers block but the metaphor is amazingly cohesive. As great a write as it is long, beautiful work ^^ ~Nika
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
A stunning write...highly creative...an enjoyable read!