The Outer Life
The objective moved him
To strive, to grasp—
The fleeting smile,
Hiding feelings of desperation
And demands—
"Going with the flow",
He lost control
And believed in falsehoods.
There was a branch
Reaching into the rushing river,
Extending truth
To the chaotic blindness—
Pulling out of the water,
Finding dry footings,
Surveying the rushing course,
His life was revealed
In a continuous force—
A force so real,
So powerful,
So total.
Yet, there he was,
Standing firm
Beside the flow,
Watching it and himself
In a peacefulness
Long forgotten,
By conflicted fury
And mistaken truths.
MS
2024
Notes:
The title refers not to the life outside of the river, but the superficial life which is a characteristic of being in the river.
This poem is written quite plainly as the communication of the meaning has been prioritized over more sophisticated wording.
