The poem below came through me as I arrived in a little cabin on a lake in Vermont a couple of days ago. I came here to meet with my shamanic/spiritual teacher, and was already beginning to experience a shift in my awareness, away from my regular life, yet quite different from a “vacation” space.
I used to write a lot of poetry, but had stopped for many years. However, when I found myself by that incredible lake, I found that poetry was the only thing that could possibly come close to articulating my experience in any kind of authentic way. If I had tried to journal about it, something would be irrevocably lost in translation.
Symmetry
As above, so below —
Still water and sky
Shape perfect symmetry.
The stuff of paintings
That seem too perfect
To be real.
Within moments
Tender shades of cream and apricot
Morph into detached, steely grays.
A chill as the sun sets
Evokes a sudden unease
A sudden shift in awareness.
The passage from romantic pinks
To a cool hearkening of nightfall
Touches some deeper inner disquiet
That’s been unseen for years
Hidden behind familiar scenery.
This unexpected crack
In my tourist-like admiration
Of a picturesque, postcard-worthy spot
Is an offering —
An opening for me
To see the real landscapes
As without so within.
Loving Psychoanalysis 