A Pantoum and Some Spiritual Reflections

by Robert Wilkinson

Recently an old friend sent me a pantoum she wrote. That’s a form of poetry with repeating lines across quatrains that offer interesting multiple interpretations for the same words. One thing she wrote set me to thinking about the nature of life, reality, and who and where we are. That’s what today’s post is all about.

As she posted over at her FB page,

"The pantoum is a form of poetry similar to a villanelle. It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next. This pattern continues for any number of stanzas, except for the final stanza, which differs in the repeating pattern. The first and third lines of the last stanza are the second and fourth of the penultimate; the first line of the poem is the last line of the final stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is the second of the final. Ideally, the meaning of lines shifts when they are repeated although the words remain exactly the same."

So here’s the pantoum she sent me. My reflections are at the end.

Life’s Lesson to Itself

By Debra Yvonne Mathis

The birth of a babe, life's lesson to itself,
Cast out and away into peace or pain
The touch of those nearby teaches worlds to the new
Molding small brains with known refrains.

Cast out and away into peace or pain
Younglings come equipped to reflect what is there
Molding small brains with known refrains
The message of less than love so hard to bear

Younglings come equipped to reflect what is there,
Regardless of state, color or tone,
The message of less than love so hard to bear,
The misunderstanding that one is alone.

Regardless of state, color or tone,
All seek a sort of balance within.
The misunderstanding that one is alone
This could be the original sin.

All seek a sort of balance within,
In this world where power is misplaced.
This could be the original sin,
The sad harvest, earth defaced.

In this world where power is misplaced,
Instead of sanctuary, ego's proving ground.
The sad harvest, earth defaced…
Still, for some, Earth remains holy ground.

Instead of sanctuary, ego's proving ground,
Where separation has become the rule,
Still, for some, Earth remains holy ground,
For connection is both a process and a tool.

Where separation has become the rule,
Healing demands the wound be knit,
For connection is both a process and a tool,
One need only ask for it.

Healing demands the wound be knit.
The touch of those nearby teaches worlds to the new.
So let us embody peace and love for
The birth of a babe, life's lesson to itself.

I wrote her back and told her that I liked the lines

The misunderstanding that one is alone
This could be the original sin.

I got to thinking, and some ideas came forth spontaneously about human life, where we are, and the eternal task that confronts all of us. The first set describes what all of us go through. The second set describes what we can do here. The third set describes how we are One.

While this is in no way a pantoum or even an attempt at that form, it is a reflection on

The misunderstanding that one is alone
This could be the original sin.

We do come from warmth, oneness, and mystery
Where all needs are met even before we ask
Rudely interrupted by an all-enveloping earthquake,
Of contractions, and noises, and a complete inevitability
We are born into bright light, coldness, no longer swaddled in embryonic fluid
Things get very LOUD very quickly
Strange hands do not feel like what we know
We wonder what is this new reality
That is totally out of our control
Then we grow, live, and die
Wondering what was that strange reality
And who are we really?

But here we have the ability
To know beyond shifting reality
The Eternal Now, The Eternal State
Not wondering about much
Not fearing anything at all
Not desiring, not not desiring.
Nothing to hide, claiming no shame
Knowing our feet touch the center of the Earth
Knowing our lips and nose touch the infinite sky
Knowing our lungs connect us with All That Is
Knowing we walk and breathe with All That Is
Knowing the Divine Play as we dance with It.

One who breathes is never alone
For we all breathe the same air
One who drinks is never alone
For we all drink the same water
One who loves is never alone
For we all are part of One Love
One Light, One Life, One Mind, One Heart
Shared by all creatures through all time
The medium and lens where we can learn to see
Our eternal freedom to embrace an alternate reality
Where life is shared and now and alive
And we're all here together whether we know it or not

The misunderstanding that one is alone
This could be the original sin.

Thanks for the inspiration, Deb. You are indeed “kind of the pantoum queen.”

© Copyright 2012 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[cathy]

A little high strung today, thanks for the kindness of the message. truth as seditive.

[Valerie]

A very lovely poem! and i agree, i like those two lines the best as well. They surely speak to me and my condition. Namaste :)

[Nancy Robinson]

A lovely poem! Had me deeply pondering a few things. Thanks!

Nancy

[Krist]

I am new to all of this. Just now reading on learning to meditate etc. But in the last 2 days the readings on this website have literally started a huge change in my thinking. I know I am reading the right stuff when I read about my lifes problems and answers here so intimately. So thank you for the insights they are changing my life. I am slowly learning and beginning to find peace.

[Mel]

Thanks Debra...this is awesome...beautiful stuff too Robert!

[Micheline]

Beautiful

[Debra Mathis]

I see I was going in two essential directions in this piece; in part, it is about how a child is born into a situation, positive or negative, and will be programmed by what they are 'fed'... they will reflect the essence of the attachment they have with the caregiver. Second, we (though being from and of the 'world') seek to 'birth' our world, often with misplaced power/intent and misunderstanding. I believe that if we were more spiritually attached to 'the world', that peace might inadvertently arise... or conversely, if we are more peaceful within the world, that energy can infuse all other attachments we have... what we need is a positive feedback loop. And we are not alone... yet much of the 'world' will tell you otherwise... who we decide to listen to, and why... these are crucial issues not just for our consciousness, but for the planet.