Publication Date: July 2021
Location: PoetCrit out of Delhi, available here.
Genesis: I had a lot of fun with this one! Embedded in this poem is quite a lot of the essence of my approach to this wonder we call Life, and yet I love the fact that it emerged with such a playful energy to it. I chose the pendulum image as it is central to the poem and deserves a bit of explanation.
Circumstances in life can really shove us around, if we’re not careful. Often, they create an emotional response, and that emotional response changes when the circumstances change. This demonstrates a key premise – that my thoughts and feelings are not real. Before I was taught this, and before I really came to realise the truth of it, I would frequently find myself on the end of the pendulum, swinging back and forth between extremes. Now, I try to stay at the ‘pivot of the pendulum’, where I’m not being swing around wildly by external circumstances, and from where I can observe my emotional state from a higher vantage point – curious, rather than wrapped up in the drama of it all.
This change in perspective has been transformational for me. I hope it resonates with you, too.
The mischievous Herald Calls others to come play In the higher vibrations Where Divine Sparks hold sway. Identities quieten; The still, small voice speaks out, And greatness steps forward, Offers guidance beyond doubt. The compassion and the wisdom, The poetry and prose Shows the Way to the Seeker And behold! The Seeker rose To the pivot of the pendulum, Above its vicious swing, To acknowledge his identity Yet away from its harsh sting. The mischievous Herald Calls others to come play In the higher vibrations Where Divine Sparks hold sway.