I rarely descend to the existential depths of metaphysical dread. Why would anyone want to? Besides there’s nothing down there. That’s why it’s dreadful. Why get all miserable over nothing? Sanity stays on the bright surface with the breathable air and the cleansing rain. Or, to put it in other words: don’t look down–the deeper depth is toward the sky. That leads me to my problem. Although I don’t have anything particularly dreadful to write about, which should make the sophisticated and critical reader question my allegiance to the dark side, I no longer have any motivation to shut up.
SMILING LETS ONE BE
SEASONS’ PLAYFUL METERS RHYME
TIME TO LIVE FORGIVE
Text: Linked to dVerse Haibun Monday. Bjorn is hosting. Toni provided the prompt why do we write in the way we do? I am not sure if I answered it.
I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays because it occurred to me when I woke this morning that if I really want to levitate to a deeper depth I will have to stop weighing myself down with making sure karma is distributed equitably. There’s plenty of karma to go around.
Photos: “Water Flowers”, above, and “At the Chicago Botanic Garden”, below, by the author.
don’t look down–the deeper depth is toward the sky
That is most excellent, love this, though I think I like to write about the depth underneath myself.
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There is less distance to travel if you go from the surface to the center of the Earth than if you go from the surface “to infinity and beyond”. 🙂 I am glad you liked that line, Bjorn!
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Love your reflection here….funny…..we both used a similar line about not looking down 🙂
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We did say something similar. There isn’t as much to see if one is looking down. Thank you, Lillian!
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I’ve had one of those days where Murphy’s law seems real. “Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment.” Anyways, your words of looking up to find the deeper depths was a solace to a confused mind. Thanks, Frank.
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I think Murphy’s law is still a pain if one looks up, but there is more to see up there. Thank you, Olga!
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I have no idea which is best but find myself looking down some days and up- on others…I guess it gives differing perspectives. I like the idea of TIME TO LIVE FORGIVE.
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Looking up is not always pleasant. But there isn’t only one way. We need a variety of ups and downs and ways of doing things. Thank you, Alison!
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I’m not sure? But I liked what you wrote, it’s sure I am not one of your “sophisticated or critical readers.” I did like you two final words, “Live Forgive.” I think, maybe it is the only way to live. Forgive ourselves and forgive others, a little bit each day. It can’t be done in a day.
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Those are the idealized readers who prefer the dark side. I have to learn to forgive them and forgive myself for setting up a situation where I need to forgive them in the first place. I don’t see you enjoying “metaphysical dread” whatever that is.
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Oh Frank, I laughed aloud at your wonderful description of dwelling on the positive. Your humor sparkles in this one! Thank you.
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Thank you, Bev! It was hard for me to keep a straight face after writing about “metaphysical dread”.
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I don’t know that misery corresponds exactly with depth. Your work is always a little more complex than it appears.
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I think misery is a temporary inability to see clearly which will resolve itself. I agree that it is not a sign of depth even if that depth is attained through levitation of some sort. Even the experience of “metaphysical dread” is a temporary misery. Thanks, Sarah!
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You may be cheerful and not shut up any time with me, Frank. I love your style!
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Thanks, Sarah! Saying “shut up” is one way to break the rambling spell I was getting myself into although snapping my fingers might have worked as well.
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That’s right, Frank.
I passed this along.
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Thank you!
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“The deeper depth is toward the sky.” What an interesting perspective. And you’re not wrong. 🙂
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There is further to go if one is looking up than if one is looking down. Thank you!
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I liked this one, Frank. This too: don’t look down–the deeper depth is toward the sky.
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I am glad you liked that. I felt I was rambling until that line appeared somewhat out of nowhere. Thank you!
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I like your point of view. View point, even. Look up. Yes indeed.
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Thank you! I figure there is more to see in that direction.
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I specially like this part: the deeper depth is toward the sky. Very inspiring to read and good to know that we share the same perspective. Time to live and forgive! Have a good week~
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Thank you, Grace! One should always take time to live and forgive whether one looks up or down.
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I love the fact that you found the deeper depth towards the sky. What insight. I’ve always thought it to be so.
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The depth should be in the sky–there is so much more of it. Thank you, Vivian!
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It’s better to look towards the sky. Definitely
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Yes, much more to see in that direction. Thank you, Miriam!
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Nice. Shamelessness is no fun, and to me that is the “methaphysical dread”, by which one is stupid. Nice concept. Better safe than sorry. Praised be the Lord! 🙂
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I had not thought of it as “shamelessness” before, but that word works. Thank you, Vaccinius!
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Time to live “forgive”… I really like that! When I started writing poetry – or trying to write it… I wrote so sad and just not anything like I do now. I wasn’t even sad! Ha I learned to be more me I guess.
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Sometimes one writes the way one is expected to write. I thought it would be easy to find something to link to Debbie’s Forgiving Fridays. That was yesterday. When I woke up this morning I realized I didn’t know what forgiveness was. I’m still learning which I guess is a good thing. Thanks, Margaret!
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This is very indicative of your high level of poetry, Frank, from what I have read so far. Reflective, indeed!
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Thank you, Kathy! Sometimes I realize only at the last moment what I’m trying to say. I am glad you liked it.
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Sound philosophy, Frank! I love what you say about sanity staying ‘on the bright surface with the breathable air and the cleansing rain’ and I agree, ‘the deeper depth is toward the sky’.
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Thanks, Kim! It occurred to me this morning that ever since they figured out the Earth was round looking down can get one no deeper than the center.
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Writing is its own reward. You’ve definitely answered the question. (K)
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Yes, it is its own reward. The best one can gain out of it is doing it. Thank you!
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The deeper depth is toward the sky….yes, yes! And I love the pictures!
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Thank you, Mary! I am glad you enjoyed the photos as well.
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Never be silenced, Frank. You have so much more to say, no matter what shade it is!
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Sometimes the dark is entertaining like charging oneself for something lighter. Thank you, Walter!
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Hi Frank,
“don’t look down–the deeper depth is toward the sky. ” This is totally another perspective, but also very challenging and with sense 🙂
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Thank you, Ben! I think it fits the theme of your blog as well which is very positive and affirming.
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That was humorous, Frank — we have too little time on this rock to spend it wallowing in misery when not needed, eh? But I do love the ting of darkness (with humorous cynicism) so that sappy wonderfulness does not blind us either. LOL
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I am glad you liked it, Sabio. You may be right about expressions of sappy wonderfulness, because sappy wonderfulness isn’t wonderful. That may be because it doesn’t see clearly enough. It may need some of that dread to motivate it to clean the windows and look closer. Perhaps that is what the nothingness of dread is for?
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You owe nothing to the dark side. I love your zen perspective.
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Thank you! It does seem like a zen perspective based on what little I know of zen. That might mean it fits even better the haibun form, but I don’t know much about haibun except what Toni has told us at dVerse.
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I’ve never been happy but always nearly so.
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Thank you! I think being “nearly” happy is the ideal. It is smiling not laughter that the brain needs–and the soul as well. I also hear yawning helps the brain, but I don’t know why. Maybe it shakes one out of the expected and that helps one to look up.
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Perhaps yawning does help the brain. But for me it just means I’m about to lose consciousness!
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I found that result surprising as well. I prefer smiling to yawning as I’m walking down the street.
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I was once so tired I actually fell asleep while walking.
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And therein lies the irony, it’s everything and nothing all at once, as the same with joy and happiness.
Perfection I find is somewhere between the two. There is such beauty everywhere however being able to see it, your photos show that beauty.
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I agree that perfection is between everything and nothing. There has to be a tension and there will be since we are finite. I am glad you like the photos. Thank you, Dan!
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This is a beautiful haibun Frank! I especially love ‘the deeper depth is toward the sky’, that is so true :o)
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Thank you, Xenia! Ever since we learned the Earth is round and not flat, looking down is very limited. Eventually we get back to the sky.
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‘the deeper depth is toward the sky’ – a philosophy worth believing in.
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I think it makes sense and should lead to more happiness at the very least. Thank you, Sara!
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Frank, wow. Thank you for your contribution to Forgiving Fridays. This is so creative and moving …. it moves me to a deep place inside of me (ironically or not!) I love what you shared about letting go of distributing karma evenly. That is beautiful, as is this entire post. I am honored to share it for this week’s Forgiving Fridays. And great photos! Many blessings, Debbie ps – I listened to the audio again, it really adds another dimension to your posts. 🙂
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Thank you, Debbie, for setting up the Forgiving Fridays prompt. It is good to think about forgiveness. I generally think that I forgive most of the time, but then I realized on writing this that any time I blame someone, even justifiably, I am not forgiving, I am not seeing the situation correctly. The best way to reach those deeper depths in the sky that I claim are there is to see the situation correctly. So I have a lot to learn.
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Me, too Frank. Well said. Thanks for that, and for being here. Blessings, Debbie
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I really liked this, Frank. It made me chuckle, but there’s also a lot depth to it–without going down. 🙂
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While writing this it occurred to me that the Earth is round, so if we do decide to go down the furthest we can go is the center of the Earth. We might as well aim up. Thank you, Merril!
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Your line about not looking too deeply reminded me of the Indigo Girls: “The less I seek my source for some definitive/ the closer I am to fine”! 😆
Love the honesty of your reflection and the heart of your haiku!
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Thank you, Frank! Sometimes trying too hard for depth is the way to stay on the surface.
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SMiLes.. mY friENd
for A Deepest
MetaPhysical
Dread
is a place
where Dread
is a welcome
Friend then
or any pain or
feeling or other
sense over nothing
nothing at all piece
of paper existence…
tHeRe is pain and
there is
numb
and there is
Hell where there is all
time at all and no Human
Being as i that is pART oF aLL
Every Second A Thousand Years
A Bottomless pit with no rise but
fall more fall more and fall more
without
even
feeling
A Joy of
gravity down but it’s
true i’ll never do Justice
to either hell or heaven in
words and that my friend is
why i believe in no word or bible
as an end to the means that is life aLL
iN All CoLorS LiGHT sHadEs FaLL oF GreY
BeYoNd RainBoW CoLorS buT iN wHiMsY
FReE RiSiNG eYes i cry i try for it can and will
be lonely in hell and even heaven too when tHeRe is
no way
to
share
reaLiTY
but words
of poetry that
cry i try my friEnd
anyway.. the water is nice
These aLL Days in HeaVeN
And Hell is just
an opaque
memory
abyss
lost
shallow now in depths of Heaven..
it’s true.. i’m glad i went to the other
place too for it is true too not even demons
would will volunteer
for the
Devil
is the
i that lives tHeRE mY FriEnd..
true..three ‘they’ aren’t selling tickets
that was probably my only chance to go..
and
come
back even more..:)
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I’m glad you made it back. Unending pain is worse than nothing. I like this comment you made: “the
Devil
is the
i that lives tHeRE” Thanks, Fred!
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SMiLes all
Beats that
Other Place..
Thanks.. Frank..:)
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I no longer have motivation to shut up… You go Frank and I am with you on this one!
Denny
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Thank you, Denny! I tend to often have something to say.
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Another lovely haibun, Frank. I like the question you have invoked here.
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Thank you, Robbie!
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