brainbleach needed...

[gayathri]

Because my brain hurts from yet another dark and horrid poem from poets.org - you tell me why modern american poets are depressing and apparently know my dreams? Because beyond its false advertisement in the title, "this is a wonderful poem"
is almost exactly a recurring nightmare I have where nothing I do ends up with a happy ending for me, whether its walking past it, running away, attacking it...

In an attempt to exorcise this brainbleachworthy vision out of my head, I looked up Hafiz: 

At This Party

I don't want to be the only one here
Telling all the secrets -

Filling up all the bowls at this party,
Taking all the laughs.

I would like you
To start putting things on the table
That can also feed the soul
The way I do.

That way
We can invite

A hell of a lot more
Friends.

From: http://www.astrodreamadvisor.com/Hafiz.html

lil_brown_bat: "Buttering the Sky" made me think of you. :) 

Comments

[rhiannonstone.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, I've never read "This is a wonderful poem" as depressing. Terrifying, yes, but the terror of being confronted with a story-child (or other creative endeavor) I'm afraid to birth because I know it will be hard and scary and it will hurt and I might fail. But the last line--"Now, what do you want to do about it?"--feels like an inspirational challenge to me, and I'm left feeling ready to meet it, sure that when I do there will be a happy ending. It's a poem of hope, not despair for me.

"At this party" is delightful! Thank you for linking to him, everything on that page makes me smile in one way or another.

[gayathri.livejournal.com]

Its not depressing, its terrifying and angering - especially coupled with the recurring nightmare where faced with a choice that has no correct answer. Failure is not a problem, but never having a chance at success? Actually having _no_ choice at all? That's a problem.

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

Mmm. In that case, maybe the problem is with your definition of "success"? Are you still clinging to the dream of a perfect, flawless, effortless life (like, being the princess in the Disney castle), and believing that anything else is a poor second?

[gayathri.livejournal.com]

leading it back to the recurring nightmare - "success" would be defined by getting past the thing, and not dying. In my recurring dream, there was never any success there, every choice still led to my falling off a cliff and dying. The poem brought up that nightmare very vividly.... so I'm reading a lot of the recurring dream in that poem.

The other thing is that I'm a pretty stubborn girl - a challenge like, "what are you going to do about it" makes me say, "I dont want to play YOUR game!Pbbth!" I never did dares, or handled challenges from others well.

[voyeurprincess.livejournal.com]

http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/poem1/blp_lowell_amy_giver_stars.htm

Hold your soul open for my welcoming.
Let the quiet of your spirit bathe me
With its clear and rippled coolness,
That, loose-limbed and weary, I find rest,
Outstretched upon your peace, as on a bed of ivory.

Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me,
That into my limbs may come the keenness of fire,
The life and joy of tongues of flame,
And, going out from you, tightly strung and in tune,
I may rouse the blear-eyed world,
And pour into it the beauty which you have begotten.

[blunami.livejournal.com]

Thank you Wolf!