The morning came in slowly
like a languid melody carried loftily by the wind
Here I was again, a traveling wavelength - pensive,
drowsy, but coherent. Savoring a cup of lukewarm coffee,
feeling a stray ray of sunlight on my cheek - I'm here, I'm awake.
And yet, my mind drifts on miles away.
A form of double consciousness takes over me:
Even as I drive to work my eyes take in only
the most important details, red light! Now green,
Red tail-lights, ok go! ....Still, my mind is elsewhere
on a safari somewhere in Africa, then listening to
a mariachi serenade in Puebla, Mexico, eating fried kimchi rice
at a quaint mom & pop restaurant in South Korea, and so on and so forth
and on and on, until my mind's eye becomes dizzy and struck
with whiplash from the constant whirr of it all.
Suddenly it stops, I pull into the driveway of my place of work
where the mind slowly begins to reunite with the body.
We're here, present now. I cant help but feel trapped
Stuck here, when I'd rather be elsewhere, traveling.
Oh, the wonder of the IMAGINATION! You use the term DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS which is very true and fair because it treats the MEANDERING mind with respect as the equal of the FOCUSED mind which does the work of the world but has no awareness of our need to be totally and radically f-r-e-e. This poem provodes such an escape with its images of benign place of escape. Reading it help me refocus on the required task so that I can later pursue the imaginative journey. Excelsior!
A perfect work about a state of mind that we can all say we've experienced. Poetry about everyday life, and the dreams we all share....those are rarities. A magnificent work, Nika. A 10.
I know this Meandering Mind! It's mine too, even when driving like you. You capture the delightful, imaginative pleasure of such meandering, which must suit something deeply similar in the mind's natural working, because it takes so readily to these flights. And these flights in general and your poem in particular persuade me there is a component to MIND which can never be satisfied with just this dimension of reality but seeks out TRANSCENDENCE.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Hey, Nika! I like the description here of what I’ve heard described as monkey mind, and, of couse, I relate. I particularly like the opening—The morning came in slowly like a languid melody...—which gets well the feeling of your mind experiencing the real it observes. -Glen