Wise
Within
Our has been
Species, tell us.
Life's arrows have tailspin!
Unavoidably they pierce us.
So from repercussions we must adjust,
And can protect, shielding from a sorrowful vice.
At such times find resilience we must.
But also guard against, be just,
Mind arrows under-spin
These do not trust.
Don't let in,
Not kin -
Lies
So this is a diatelle, a poetry form that I found frustrating and enjoyable all at the same time! The syllable structure of the diatelle is as follows: 1/2/3/4/6/8/10/12/10/8/6/4/3/2/1, (15 lines) and has a set rhyme pattern of abbcbccaccbcbba. The Diatelle form was created by Bradley Vrooman.
I felt I wanted to talk about how, although life can ‘shoot’ at us, we also have a tendency to ‘shoot’ at ourselves again and again by how we relate to what has happened. This is encapsulated by the Parable of the two arrows from the Buddhist cannon:
The Buddha once asked a student,
‘If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?’
He then went on to explain,
‘In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. This second arrow is optional.’
And just in case you’re still a bit confused here’s a short explainer.
This week was difficult, bad news spurned a shattering thought; that tipped the balance of my already stressed mind. Proud though, as although I wobbled, I found my footing and kept going!
A haiku distills thinking and I have been writing a good deal recently. Largely as part of Twitter engagement (@lauraelizahay). Here is my Haiku Cascade!
Don’t try to solve life
Probing makes it elusive
Like sand through fingers
“Will I be okay?”
The prayer of all who suffer
If resolve nurtured…
Torpor overtakes
Enveloped in down’s soft warmth
Sleep submerges mind
Slipped into the night
Freedom from glib exclusive
Found the kind and wise
Eventide’s light plays
Dancing through canopy’s boughs
I sigh lost in dreams
Do try for the light
End slumbering in darkness
World waits for your sight
Signs of spring
Life’s grace returning
Warm wind blows
Expect doubt
Life’s harsh leveller
Ego’s foe
In days aftermath
To myself I am unkind
To the achieved blind
To be a hermit
Deep in the woods, riverside
Only lost can find
A community
Of photo-synthesisers
Capturing the light
Like a mountain lake
Clearer, direction once was
Now muddy puddle!
Encouragement is
The act of lending courage
To the fearful heart.
Prophet Hicks was right
Human life’s machinations
Are all ‘just a ride’
Phew if you made it here you have serious commitment!
Waves of despair
Consume the peace so rare.
Relentlessly
Frustration crashes, must flee.
All consuming
Terrors and worries, mind sinking.
Reach for the sane
Only to be enveloped, once again.
Crest of bitter lessons
Tide keeps on, doesn't lessen.
Calm does lie below
Equanimity can ride the flow.
This poem reflects the challenge of this week. As it has been like sailing through a storm. But instead of weather a constant barrage of frustrations and a burgeoning to-do list of intractable problems! Sure this is something you can empathise with as doubt I am alone.
So this is for Eugi’s weekly prompt – this week its ‘Champion’, check it out. It inspired me to think about champion not as a ‘winner’ but in its meaning to ‘advocate’, for another or a cause, and then ultimately for how we can be our own champion.
This week has been a struggle as my mind has been melancholy. I have been gripped before like this and found myself in the ‘pit’, which basically meant putting my existence on pause, which is not as pleasant as it sounds. I have learnt to see the pit approaching and do all I can not to dive in. As it is better, in the long run, to struggle through topside. Than to have to break the miserable thought cycle and muster the energy toclimb out.But if you are in the pit right now, I understand and I promise you are not alone.
This Brené Brown video on empathy vs sympathy is excellent guidance. Not just when handling someone you care about’s sadness, but also in checking how your internal dialogue is treating you.