Gratefully Ill Poem by Max Reif
Gratefully Ill
The cough-spasms linger,
the illness lingers
and secretly I'm glad it lingers
because I need a parenthesis
to shield me from 'daily life',
which robs me of joy
and places the burden
of obligation upon my shoulders,
making it impossible
for me to look up or to skip lightly.
My mind googles incessantly
yet so far comes up with no plan
for meeting needs
without lowering the crushing burden.
I enjoy this parenthetical existence
as if floating on a cloud
or down a river upon a lotus—
princely in my bed,
at peace with all
This is great Max: Transendental meditation on apparent opposites: labour and relaxation. the time off work is used to work and that work becomes relaxation. It is not something that many people appreciate, that one has to labour for their pleasures and that plweasure can be a labour themselves. You take a sort of ancient (Eastern) philosophy to the modern themeeting of the Orient and the Occident.
'at peace with all' such a state of being blesses you and all who read this poem filled with acceptance wisdom and even beyond that the joy of one who has continued to manifest honesty in his work
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/3/2024 11:55:22 PM # 1.0.0.1119
I enjoyed the irony in this poem.. in this hectic life in order to enjoy the day you must get ill. the fact that people only stop to look at the sky or rest doing absolutely nothing when their body can not take the pressure any more is quite sad.. I hope you get better soon and still enjoy the day as a healthy individual! HBH