Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
~ John Milton
i’ve been growing old slower
with all this beauty around me
my peers lately, have been chatting
about the power of gratitude
every revolution evaporates
so why bother, bureaucracy
prevails, politicians are corrupt
i’ve been growing old slower
since i started not doing politics
not being political, learning
to be productive in the spheres
that aren’t touched by the marketplace
i’ve learned not to lie, by staying silent
i no longer read advertisements
i no longer occupy my time with wanting things
i’ve been growing old slower
with a quiet beginning of understanding
the first wish to die has risen in me
like a bud that will flower
a medication from my own substance
i have the true feeling of myself
only when i give up happiness and unhappiness
there, the world will present itself
to you with its unmasking
like a child that only wants to play
i’ve been growing old more slowly
in theory where I abandon the second world
the idea that suffering is necessary
that pain is a natural argument of time
i’d rather read a book
that serves as an ax for
the frozen sea within me
and associate myself with human beings
that not only lure me into a self-observation
but allow me to laugh at myself better
or realize how pathetically scant
my self-knowledge is compared to say
the awareness that I am growing older
and care less for my youthful failures
by consequence of a natural decline in memory
it’s there, that evil is whatever distracts
me from whatever I consider my calling
at the time, did I mention that
i’ve been growing old more slowly
since I’ve surrounded myself with kind women?
it’s true, women are precisely
my favorite religion, i could hide
in their dogma for any number of years
feeling totally young in their emotions
find many hiding places listening
smiling to their relationship-antagonists.
Kind women are above religion–we welcome all, we know (“no”) judgement, we welcome love in all its forms and transforms!
yes I’ve been conditioned to like women, more than men, somehow…as more likeable inherently somehow…
Between “a medication from my own substance” and ” i could hide
in their dogma for any number of years feeling totally young in their emotions” — I have goosebumps. I love the entire theory, the entire perception and truth of what will slow us down – what realities to give up once realizing their illusion and the negative impact this illusion has on us. Cheers my friend!
haha thank you, that’s exactly what i was getting at…
And so you did – perfectly as always. 🙂
Sweet of you to say, I’ll meet you at the source Kimba.
I look forward to it. ❤
I think this is, for sure, the best poem of yours I’ve read—really amazing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, what makes it a good poem?
A lot of things! I think what makes it great is the form you use (the line “i’ve been growing old slower”) that really moves the poem along, and just the general honesty of what you say.
yes I like the use of repetition at times, granted there is a weird kind of authenticity in the tone of the piece, thanks.
You’ve embedded many important lessons and much wisdom within the lines of this poem.
Thanks Kate, there’s a lot to play with in Kafka’s legacy…
Growing wiser in each moment also. Evocative and touching.
Wisdom is a borrowing from the lives of others, for in our own life we only find half-truths.