Desiderata: observations from the journey

I feel the need for a foreword here. This poem is a work in progress, so feel free to make suggestions on how I can improve it. Thanks. Rock on.

This Is Everything You Are

this is everything you are:
perception, reaction, creation, destruction

stilled by the gaze of a lover

this is everything you are:
foresight, hindsight, insight, blindness

every moment a new version of truth

this is everything you are:
thought, belief, question, idea

making love to a heart and mind

this is everything you are:
memory, experience, wisdom, knowledge

learning to hold and be held effortlessly

this is everything you are:
love, hate, lust, indifference

finding the peace in a new island

this is everything you are:
infinite, unnameable, connected, boundless

released by a heart you never expected

I’ve been a U2 fan for quite some time and like everyone else who’s seen a celebrity magazine over the last decade or so, I’ve noticed that Bono is never photographed without sunglasses on. I don’t know if he has an actual medical photosensitivity (I’m guessing not since his lenses are generally quite see-thru), an addiction to sunglasses or if he feels that he simply can’t be shown without his signature shades. I’m guessing the latter. That’s cool. We’ve all got our eccentricities. I just thought this photo was really funny, because finally, he isn’t wearing sunglasses…

I read an old letter today and came across a huge mistake in my thinking. I’m not going to explain what was in the letter because that’s not really important. It’s always so difficult when you get caught up in high emotion to step back and look at things objectively. It’s been nearly a year since I wrote that letter and my perspective has broadened. Realizing this caused me to change my MySpace headline to “Knowledge locks the door; perspective lets you shimmy up the drainpipe.”

I’ve learned that knowledge limits you, but I keep forgetting it and re-learning it. Once we know something we are trapped in an absolute condition. Because we know the answer, there can be only one solution to any given problem. Being able to step away and look at it again, to gain perspective shows us that there are in fact many solutions. We often forget this. We are often driven by the desire to simply solve the problem, to check it off on the list. I think most of us are trained to be uncomfortable not knowing something. But by becoming comfortable with not knowing, by accepting that you can just go on faith and walk in the dark, you can discover so much more. I have a good friend who’s been telling me this for years. I guess now I’m finally starting to get it.

Listen To This

I found this shot while sorting through and deleting pictures on my computer to make room on my wee little hard drive. I haven’t seen the documentary, but it’s all about the word and it’s on my list of things to watch. I was glad to see that the theater actually spelled the word out on the marquee. I also like the fact that my shirt blends into the marquee.