Lost in the Unlimited

 

How will you contain 

your wonder 

when you see 

through these mortal

walls into

the other side

of anguish

 

and Heaven 

falls around you 

 

and billows of love 

fill your head 

the way rain gorges on

sensual honeysuckle, 

wild grass and

other earthy spirits? 

 

Flutters of understanding:

How do you clutch 

them long enough

to know them better,

before they dart 

away and the 

ordinary returns? 

 

But for now 

Truth is 

a crystalline door,

a savage happiness 

only the shattered, 

the destroyed,

the reconstructed know.

 

What will your life look 

like in a place

without fear? 

 

What will you explore 

after you've sailed above 

your doubts,

 

and higher still,

 

when you are 

the drop of daybreak,

 

the thread of wind,

 

the clear, 

expanding sky? 

 

Patricia Joan Jones

 

View patriciajj's Full Portfolio
S74RW4RD's picture

The lasr fived lines of the

The lasr five lines of the poem are, in my opinion, the most important and also the poem's center of gravity, because they disclose  the reader to whom the poem's questions are addressed.  The Poet has adopted a kind of Socearic method in posing questions to the reader; or, you could also called it that catechetical method that the Early Christians used when preparing converts for full initiation into the Chyrch.  

   And this is appropriate because this poem, like her other poems, constitute an extended initiation into an awareness of the Cosmos.  When you read one of Patricia's poems, you are actually reading the content or subject matter of all of them.  In this aspect, she resembles Wallace Stevens, whose body of work was based on certain premises that alwaus kept the individual poems in line with his subject matter,  Patricia's style operates exactly like this.  And to paraphrase one of Stevens' recent critics---whose name I cannot recall just now--her Poetry demonstrates an astonishing amount of internal control and modulation.  Patricia's poems present the Cosmos itself, so internal control and modulation are absolutely necessary.  I believe this kind of approach to poetry began with Vergil---and Patricia is an inheritor of that vocation---to explain the Cosmos to itself.  


Starward

patriciajj's picture

Thank you again (and again .

Thank you again (and again . . .) for going straight for that center of gravity and unpacking everything with breathtaking accuracy and intricacy. I'm forever honored and humbled by your astronomical insights, your deep comprehension of my vision and your resonance with my work.

 

So much gratitude, such a limited language to fully express it.

 

Be blessed, radiant Friend and Poet. 

 
cynosure's picture

Thank you

This poem is full of wonder, awe, and a contemplative sense of introspection. The language used in the text evokes powerful imagery of transformation, emotional depth, and a sense of metaphysical exploration. The juxtaposition of concepts like anguish and Heaven, love and pain, and destruction and reconstruction all contribute to a rich emotional tapestry that suggests a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment. The imagery of rain gorging on sensual honeysuckle and wild grass and the idea of Truth as a crystalline door evokes a sense of magic and beauty in the face of profound experiences. Overall, it conveys a sense of mystery, longing, and a desire to transcend the ordinary in search of deeper understanding and connection with the world.


Alliswend bin ich nicht, doch vie list mir bewußt.

patriciajj's picture

I am filled with gratitude

I am filled with gratitude and amazement by your stunning analysis that hit the mark with both precision and eloquence. That was exactly the effect I intended to evoke, and your vibrant insights confirmed it as only a true Poet can do. And you are a truly gifted Poet!

 

My regret is that I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to give your posts the attention they so greatly deserve, but I hope to remedy that soon.

 

Thank you immensely for taking the time to read (I mean, really read) and leave such resplendent footprints.