Every month, I post one of my poems (paired with one of my pictures), sharing its origin and some of its essence. Here is my Poem & Pic of the Month for April 2015:
See Through Me
by Patrick Bishop
My heart wants.
A memory of what it knows
it has lost long ago
in separation
of divine into form
Unable to go back and reconnect
Unable to find you in wanting
Trying numerous times in a multitude of ways
Distracting? Yes.
Fulfilling? No.
It only makes the emptiness bigger, deeper
If that's possible
I'm told "now" holds the answer;
The Holy Grail.
but that's only partially true
Old remnants of loss are always there
and while I hold it in silence,
it remains as a reminder of my home,
how far I've come
and yet to go
I will never find it
with these eyes
and so my prayer is that
I learn, more and more,
to let you see through me
Background
This poem was written in January 2015. The duldrums of winter always seem to have a way of bringing me to a place of reflection. At this point, I'd been meditating consistently for a while and it still wasn't the "cure all" I'd hoped for. I knew it wasn't an escape, but I was still hoping for... I'm not sure what, but definitely "more." This poem comes out of the reflection that we (I) will never be fully reunited with the divine in this life. The wisdom traditions say this is simply part of our human nature. The answer, it appears to me, is letting go and becoming more and more and more, a vessel of love. I'm still working on that.
The Picture
This was taken in March 2015 on the ice-covered waters of Lake Michigan near the Grand Haven pier. Nature created these delicately frosted sculptures, along with frozen caves and tombs of dense ice that encased the pier and lighthouse. It was a beautiful sight, especially with the sun setting on it. This is nature's death in all its wintery glory, putting everything on hold until spring comes to reawaken everything.
© 2015 by Patrick Bishop; all rights reserved.