I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

2 June 2016

As Above, So Within

The inner world opens
like those internet pictures of the universe
that expand and expand and expand.

My autocorrect mistypes and reminds me,
it could be Pandora's box. 

Essentially, we now know,
it's a fractal universe – 
to expand or contract forever, infinitely
in either direction, the ever-reproducing pattern
beautiful, and beautifully unfolding.

I wander down the vast reaches 
of the dark interior. The stars against the indigo
are pinpricks. It opens and keeps on opening
further before me, limitless, faintly lit.

Misericordia! The tricksy, unknown roads
of chaos are built-in, the Divine hand creating
choice within the pre-ordained order: paradox.
Music and mathematics govern the outpourings
of creation, direct them into systems –
then the fluke.

Drawing in my nets for sleep,
full of strange fish for dreams (star-fish, yes,
no joke) I rattle at speed past banks of miraculous
emblems – histories of dark and light.
It all dwindles down to the pupil
of one unseeing eye …
















Spiral galaxy picture in public domain

I'm linking to Poetry Pantry #305 at Poets United

28 comments:

  1. "...the Divine hand creating
    choice within the pre-ordained order: paradox."

    Love the imagery and implications of the lines quoted above, and the feelings this poem evokes. Just yummy.

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  2. How completely gorgeous this is, making me envision the amazing everness and limitlessness of space, galaxies upon galaxies. Wow. Love the interior look, dotted with stars and starfish. I especially love "the tricksy unknown roads".

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  3. Back for another read and it still leaves me breathless. Magnificent write, Rosemary! I also really love the title, after the book title, "As Above, So Below". Love it.

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    1. Yes, it's a well-known saying in Pagan (and other) circles: As above, so below' – and there's the slightly lesser-known: 'As without, so within.' I combined them in a way that most accurately describes the landscape(s) of the poem.

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  4. What a magical piece of writing, Rosemary! Rich with imagery, your poem makes me imagine how it might be....or is!

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  5. This is a beautiful song on creation; so limitless & infinite space; governed by law, chaos/mistake is like a spec of dust; and also such infinity within. A beautiful vision, to be felt only. There is a word in Sanskrit, "Chidakash" meaning the "Inner Sky" in everyone. There's such a beautiful contrast of the inner "I" and the cosmic "I" here. Ah those Blessed Divine Hands!....

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    1. Thank you, Sumana. 'The "Inner Sky" in everyone' is perfect! 'Chidakash' goes into my vocabulary immediately.

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  6. Oh that limitless that make life itself a paradox, of what we can comprehend but never understand. Wonderful

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  7. Tricksy unknown roads of chaos... I agree with Sumana, it gives the sense of being more internal than in outer space.

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    1. Yes it was, really. I just opened my mind and let it take me where it would.

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  8. This is like taking a trip down a kaleidoscope - needless to say we love that!

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  9. This is a wonderful piece of writing but I wonder whether it distracts us from living our lives today. Living now is hard enough living in the unknown impossible.

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  10. WOW! What a journey! This is my new favorite of all of your poems, so perfect it opens all Mystery to the reader, and my Jewish-Pagan-Quaker heart throbs with its form and images--especially "the Divine hand creating / choice within the pre-ordained order: paradox." And the journey transforming to fishing--pulling in the net and dreams. Your words rival math and music as a way into this mystery, though I question whether they govern it. It is a human comfort to imagine logic in paradox. Than you for finding the words and spirit of this truth, and crying "Mercy" too!

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  11. This is absolutely gorgeous writing Rosemary :D your verse fills me with wonder and awe :D gosh those images are to die for!

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  12. "Misericordia! The tricksy, unknown roads
    of chaos are built-in, the Divine hand creating
    choice within the pre-ordained order: paradox."

    There is a lot of paradox in this verse for me. My religious schooling tells of creation being created [Book of Genesis].
    So sometimes i perceive God to be resting, yet He's on call for each and every one of us. The ever seeing, ever watchful God

    Have a nice Sunday Rosemary, i am happy you dropped in at my Sunday Lime

    much love...

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  13. Just as yummy, the second time around. On this occasion, I'm taking the surreality of the last stanza with me.

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  14. So much beauty and magic within this poem...and with lines like,

    'to expand or contract forever, infinitely
    in either direction, the ever-reproducing pattern
    beautiful, and beautifully unfolding.'

    The mystery of it all keeps me pondering. Loved this!

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  15. This is a wonderful poem! Full of wonder! I love each word "down to the unseeing eye." I am reminded of the fish's unseeing eye, dead on the beach, I'm not sure why...it just comes to mind. Nothing is as beautiful as life.....I have heard beneath the waves is a frightening place, I would like to think the dead fish moored on the beach lived his life long, he didn't come to this end too soon....

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  16. Very interesting, this poem reads like the magic of humanity, full of paradox.

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  17. An eloquent and powerful piece. "It all dwindles down to the pupil
    of one unseeing eye", for me really struck at the fragility of one mere mortal in the face of such magnificence.

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  18. That lasts stanza is absolutely wonderful! The idea of sleep as a drawing in of nets. What a great image. A beautiful idea.

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  19. Ponderous and mysterious.Socrates said the unexamined life was not worth living.

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  20. The Universe without and within, all narrowing down to that one unseeing pupil. Ours, or that of the Cosmos? Deeply provocative, yet strangely soothing. Paradox is a good word.

    Elizabeth

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  21. Rosemary, if I wrote articles like you, entitled "I wish I'd written this", this poem would be the only one mentioned. This is absolutely beautiful. I love the reference to the science of the universe, outside and within. What a lovely meditation on eternity, nature, the paradox of us and so many things. I am thrilled with this poem.

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    1. And to think I was really uncertain whether this was working, and even whether to post it at all! Yet it is coming in for such high praise, and none higher than yours. Thank you so much.

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  22. I am so pleased and relieved that this is being so well received. Quite a departure from my usual style and process, so I was uncertain of it. Thank you all for the massive reassurance!

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  23. Your poem is just like that, unfolding and opening, opening, and opening then closing into a pinpoint to start again. It's message is a fractal of what we understand. Love the fishing for dreams and understanding that brings us back to you (or ourselves). What a trip Rosemary I enjoyed this so much!

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