Tuesday 1 September 2009

A Short Poem about Everything & Nothing

Everything and nothing mingle.
They dance the dance of life.
Everything turns on each beat
And nothing, though having nothing,
Nothing to offer everything,
Lets everything in—
Everything is swallowed up into nothing
And nothing becomes everything.

—okei


17 comments:

  1. Awesome!
    I miss writing.
    This sure cheered me up!

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  2. My head is spinning LOL!

    There's been 'nothing' in ther & now you've put 'everything' in it. That's too much to swallow!

    Hope everything doesn't become nothing :))

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  3. It was inspired by a book I was reading.

    As for meaning, I don't want to impose my interpretation on it because to be honest I don't think I knew myself what it meant when I wrote it. But, since you ask, here's an idea... Everything could be like the universe, and nothing could be like the perfect emptiness of the mirror of pure consciousness, the blank slate of mind in which everything is swallowed up and perceived in reflection.

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  4. "So the reflection of Absolute Being
    can be viewed in the mirror of Not-Being,
    for nonexistence, being opposite Reality,
    instantly catches its reflection."
    http://lilleke80.multiply.com/journal/item/80/Sufi_reflections

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  5. or the nothing could be the spaces between thought...

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  6. Thank you! That's an excellent idea... the truth that lies in between... in silence.

    For some reason this makes me think of "The Truth beneath the Rose" by Within Temptation.

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  7. I Love this poem!
    Some time ago before all this dance started I was in meditation & as I came out of meditation I realized that I was at perfect Peace, like a blank book waiting for the pages to be written upon. As is the case with me, I can be rather slow & for days, maybe weeks I wondered why I did not carry that with me into the outer world when not meditating.
    LOL! Then the Ah-Ha struck! I did. I am a blank book, but it is what I allow to be written on the pages when I face what I call out here!
    We become empty from this POV. By being empty we become the flawless mirror we were designed to Be. All that "stuff" I think I am blocks the Light & distorts the perfect reflection of the Divine that we all are. So I must first seek out all that is a blemish on this Great Mirror, empty it out, polish it to clarity, & when complete I will reflect that Pure Light of Being that is my Source.
    Many want to skip the cleaning step.
    ((((((((((Hugs to you)))))))))

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  8. Thanks so much for sharing that moment of insight. About removing all the conditioning of the self... it's like the "Who am I?" question and the point of no-answer being not the end but the starting point. (((((((Hugs)))))))

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  9. My head is spinning. I haven't had any deep thoughts for almost a month while I was on holiday. I think I forgot how. Well, this is good practice. LOL

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  10. I think I better understand what polishing the mirror means... I think it means getting rid of the "five hindrances" in Buddhism, which are something like doubt, daydreaming, boredom, agitation & frustration which arise in the mind, but manifest physically in lack of enthusiasm, lack of concentration, tiredness, fidgeting & escapism(?)... (I'm totally making this up as I go along...).

    But even more basically, I think it means getting rid of distractions and addictions, and by doing so we uncover other addictions, lol, so we can maybe increase our awareness and focus it better? There are addictions of the Mind like the computer, and thinking (what I'm doing right now! Lexie, I really admire your smartness without thinking). Then addictions of the Heart like feeling need and wanting to feel needed, wanting help and wanting to help (again what I'm doing right now). And finally the stuff of the body like food, sleep and actual addictions like drink, drugs and rock & roll. A lot of these addictions are really tricky because they can be altruistic and "good" or even if they're not we might deceive oneself... as I'm doing right now in thinking and thinking my thoughts might be useful, when perhaps others would be much better off without them or discovering stuff for themselves or from others who have a clue and live by the example.

    So, I'm glad Lexie you had a restful thinking-free holiday and please don't trouble yourself with the above. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity! Everything is nothing... See! LOL. I've written another poem that might say what I'm trying to say much better... or maybe it too is vanity.

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  11. Upon the banks of the river he stood,
    Looking across to the other side,
    Contemplating crossing if he could,
    He walked to where the water was least wide.

    In his left hand he picked up a rock.
    Throwing it across, he guessed the distance.
    In his right hand he held a wooden staff.
    By the water's edge, he tested the depth.

    A flock of birds passed over his head.
    He stopped at once and looked up at the sky.
    His heart sang and his eyes turned teary red.
    How easy he mused for those who could fly.

    Old memories of youth came flooding back.
    Shaking them off, he decided to eat.
    He let down from his shoulders his knapsack,
    Took out a piece of bread and found a seat.

    Another man later saw him there asleep.
    Not wishing to disturb a pleasant dream,
    He hiked up his trousers and ventured forth
    Into the river and waded across.

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  12. Hello!

    Did you write this piece? Kind of reflective of the types of people in existence!

    Ones who contemplate, judge...and may not end up achieving.

    And then there're others who...just do it!!!

    PS: Your Everything being swallowed by Nothing...now I get it (somewhat)...its like Multiplying with a Zero, Right :) Mathematician???

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  13. Yes! and Yes!!!, just like multiplying by zero, and you got me figured, lol. That was one of the ideas in my head around the time I wrote it which must have been part of the inspiration. :^)

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