Eklektikos

The Box

The idea of going outside of the box does not necessarily mean that we live outside of ourselves.

Some people say to

Look inside the box

If you would do right,

Or see the outside

If you would be bright.

~

But truth is in both,

Within and without,

And all sides about.

~

If you have not found

It where you have been,

In what you have heard

Or what you have seen,

~

You might try looking

At that fine thin line

That lies in between.

r. nuñez, 12/2013

Poetical Analysis

The Argument

The emotion and the animation may be quieted by a simple act of compassion.

One lies

When the ego

Means more than the truth.

~

“What others have said or have written before

Is just their opinion, not anything more;

I know things no one else knows.”

~

One becomes vociferous

When one can no longer tolerate

The utterance of contradiction.

~

“When I do not want to hear

A difference of opinion,

I will talk loud and drown it out…

A bullish roar removes the doubt.”

~

One resorts to ridicule and diminution

When the facts disprove one’s assertions.

~

“When the truth makes me feel like a fool,

I will scoff at the words, discredit the source,

Laugh at the image now broken,

And distract from the words that are spoken.”

~

One uses vulgarity

When that is the extent

Of one’s ability to articulate.

~

“In response to defiance of me,

I will use those expressions

That disgust and offend,

To bring all defiance of me to an end.”

~

One turns to violence

When the verbal assault is no longer enough,

And in the absence of reason,

This is the limit of one’s vision.

~

“It is more important

That my position be known

And my voice respected,

Than other notions be suggested.”

~

Another walks away in the interest of peace…

In the interest of peace, the imminence quelled.

The clime of the moment tomorrow will cease;

Today, for the love, the truth is withheld.

r. nuñez, 10/2013

A Scrutiny of Differences

Counter Concepts

Opposites become the most apparent when one is positioned exactly between them; but even then, it is only a time for asking questions.

The pessimist’s view of

Positivity is:

Everything that exists

Is contingent to change;

Change is a certainty

And a constant. And so,

That which is born will die,

And that which has been made

Will decay and erode.

~

The optimist’s view of

Negativity is:

That which does not exist

Is surely possible,

And possibility

Is really nothing more

Than the extension of

Our aimless thoughts and dreams.

And so, that which has died

Has merely transcended,

And what has eroded

Returns to the substance

And into the matter

Of which it is made.

~

The uniqueness of both,

When perceived back to back,

Is they are dependent

And so, very alike.

Nothing deemed opposite

Can be such by itself;

The mirror for one is

The face of the other.

r. nuñez, 11/2013

Living Day to Day

Ouroboros

The concept of Ouroboros, a serpent or dragon swallowing its tail, appears to have been handed down from ancient Egyptian iconography, but it has appeared in various forms in various cultures, including Mayan tradition.

~

The feast on the table diminishes to crumbs…

Nothing to do now but suckle our thumbs.

~

The space in the pantry is a presence that grows,

So over we bend to nibble our toes.

~

What’s left of the harvest lies in clumps and in strands;

No longer useful, we bite off our hands.

~

Empty stores and warehouses, their shelves are deplete;

Having to move on, we chew off our feet.

~

It’s down to the essence in the ashes and dregs,

And we must consume our arms and our legs.

~

Forever the journey, full of wonder and dread,

Eating the body and feeding the head.

r. nuñez, 1/2013