Against the Grain

Carrying torches with purple flames,
In a circle of white robes,
My hand steady on yours,
Fear not the hidden world of shadows,
Where nothing is quite as it seems,
Though you are wide awake yet you sleep,
Amongst the radiance of life's creating forces,
And one click of my fingers is all it needs,
One dipping of the bread and casual aside,
For these powers to rupture reality's sheen,
Your faith will heal you, your love remains,
All else slips through our hands like sand,
On the shores of an infinite impossible sea,
Gold and blue and red with cherubs and more,
We bask in the profound mysteries of our forefathers,
And glory that a grain of knowledge itches so.

(I was talking to my wife, Jane, last night about the unconscious mind. Not your average 'over the dinner table' conversation but it did seem to grab our interest for a while. We got onto the phrase 'poetic license' and whether this means being given permission to talk nonsense under the guise of being artistic. Naturally, I felt compelled to share one of my poems with Jane at this point so I read her 'Against the Grain'. At the end of a very dramatic and fluent recital, I looked up and Jane said 'That's nonsense!' and I replied 'No, its poetic license'. She said 'Well ,what does it mean?'. And I said 'Well, its a poem about the unconscious mind and the hidden yet powerful role its plays in our lives. 'Fear not the hidden world of shadows, Where nothing is quite as it seems'. Because even when we think we are operating from our conscious mind the unconscious is still at work.'Though you are wide awake yet you sleep,Amongst the radiance of life's creating forces'. Under hynposis or in the presence of a great spiritual teacher then a simple physical gesture can trigger a trance. 'And one click of my fingers is all it needs, One dipping of the bread and casual aside,For these powers to rupture reality's sheen'. We suddenly question what it is real and who is really in charge.'Your faith will heal you, your love remains,All else slips through our hands like sand'. And we are dazzled by the amazing possibilities of this colourful new world. 'On the shores of an infinite impossible sea,Gold and blue and red with cherubs and more,We bask in the profound mysteries of our forefathers'. This glimpse of something different, something endless and beyond our grasp.'And glory that a grain of knowledge itches so'. Does that make sense to you?