After the Walk

[A. Baez]

 

I cringe to take my shoes off at the door

For fondness of the places they have gone;

I want to keep their good vibrations “on”

And track their magic all across the floor!

I cringe to take my shoes off at the door.

What are walks and jogs and journeys for,

If not to bring some psychic juju back

To lodgings long gone stifling and slack

With platitudinous attitude and bore?

I cringe to take my shoes off at the door!

Hurray for free exchange of in with out!

—Some grassy newness strewn across the grout

As impetus for sojourns yet in store:

I cringe to take my shoes off at the door!

But whether in or out, let us explore

Footloose in spirit, seeking all that’s best

On earth, in life, in self—that ageless quest

Which moves us further, deeper, evermore

Until, reflected in our being’s core,

We find all, passing through the inner door.

 

[badger11]

hi AB,

             I enjoyed the spirit of this - its positivity. I don't feel you need the 'space' between evermore/Until.

best

Phil

[Tinker]

AB,  This was fascinating to read and reread out loud.  I want to study it, break down the pattern of repetition, it pulls me in.  It will take time.

~~Tink

[A. Baez]

Thanks, Badger, I'm glad you enjoyed the spirit! I didn't have that space originally--when I was almost done revising, I accidentally hit the "Enter" key. I thought it was a happy accident. But I guess I just needed a mental breather at that point--I can see it your way now. Space removed. 

Tinker, I'm so glad you found it fascinating! The pattern is really simple and straightforward. I have rarely used refrains in my poems, but I recently read a poem that featured a refrain, and the impulse just bubbled up in me at the right moment. I do love the way a refrain can fast-track a poem to completion! I actually got this to its current state just four days after the first draft, which is unheard-of for me. I usually take months or years. 

[eclipse]

This is lovely....has a sing song quality....do you always write in metered verse?....

[A. Baez]

Thanks, Barry--these days, I do almost always write in metered verse. Some years ago I came to the conclusion that, by and large, the poems I write that way just turn out much better. The structure of meter and rhyme give me the focus and discipline to develop a coherent point and deliver it with rhetorical effectiveness  in a way that free verse almost never has. I think that a poet must have an incredible clarity and internal sense of order to be able to write really successful free verse--verse which strongly reflects those virtues peculiar to poetry as opposed to prose.

[tonyv]

Well, you don't exactly say that you leave them on, only that you don't want to take them off. 😉 That's my take, because I don't even want mine in the house; I step over the threshold and leave them on a plastic shoe tray.

I suppose a response poem might in order:

Can't wait to take my shoes off at the door
when I recall the places I have gone
the drive-in bathroom's wet, slippery floor
where in my car I didn't leave them on

... and so forth. 😀

I like how you continue the metaphor and turn it into an invitation for:

On 2/2/2020 at 9:23 PM, A. Baez said:

... seeking all that’s best

On earth, in life, in self—that ageless quest

Which moves us further, deeper, evermore ...

I recognize the ultimate line's "inner door," but I can't quite express exactly what it is. Please give me the author's elaboration. (I don't mean in the body of the poem, I mean here in the topic.)

Tony 🙂

[A. Baez]

Ha! Very funny! Truth is, while I have a carefree and bohemian side, I do also have an order-loving, neatnik side, as well (like my mother). I usually take my shoes off at the door--unless I'm in a big hurry and/or inspect them and find them passable...but I try to at least mentally leave them on--until I'm ready for more inward explorations!

I wasn't sure how well that transition to the broader message/invitation would work and was afraid it might sound too esoteric, but I'm glad you like it. Before writing this ending, I had felt like the poem needed one more "verse," but I really couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't be repetitive and trite. Besides, my favorite poems are those that, however playful, have a deeper layer to them. So I began looking within for the metaphysical meaning behind my theme. (There really always is one, in everything.) Here, it became apparent that I only feel an emotional distinction between physical "in" and physical "out" because I forget that all of creation is actually one and lies within our consciousness: "...the principal ‘doorway’ by which the energy of the cosmos enters the body is through the medulla oblongata, at the base of the brain." (Swami Kriyananda, The Art and Science of Raga Yoga). 

Elaborates Paramhansa Yogananda:

Quote

 

The consciousness enters the body by way of the brain and the spine. When the sperm and ovum unite to create the physical body, they do so at what becomes the medulla oblongata, at the base of the brain.

From this medulla, the life force moves out into the brain, down the spine and into the nervous system, then on to the muscles, etc., creating the body.

The way out of the body, then, is to reverse this process. The difficulty in doing so lies in the fact that the life force is already conditioned by birth to continue its outward direction--through the senses and onward to the environment as it is perceived through the senses. Thus, we think to possess the world and to enjoy it through the body.

We can never experience anything outside ourselves, however, except vicariously, as the senses report their impressions to the brain. We may try to expand our understanding of the world by study, or our enjoyment of it through sense pleasures. The fact remains, we can never know anything except through the medium of the senses, so long as the life force remains trapped in the body.

There is a way out, however. It is for the life-force to merge with the cosmic energy; for the consciousness to merge in the infinite consciousness.

The way to accomplish this end is to withdraw the life force from the senses, and center it in the spine; to direct it upward through the spine to the brain, and thence out through the Christ center between the eyebrows.

The ego is centered in the medulla oblongata. This is the negative pole of self-consciousness. The positive pole is situated at the Christ center. Concentration at this center--in the spiritual eye, the seat of spiritual vision--projects the consciousness beyond the ego into Infinity.

The spine is the highway to the Infinite. Your own body is the temple of God. It is within your own self that God must be realized. Whatever places of pilgrimage you visit outwardly, and whatever outward rituals you perform, the ultimate “pilgrimage” must be within. And the ultimate religious rite must be the offering of your life-force on the altar of inner God-communion…

 

 

[tonyv]

32 minutes ago, A. Baez said:

... Here, it became apparent that I only feel an emotional distinction between physical "in" and physical "out" because I forget that all of creation is actually one and lies within our consciousness: "... the principal ‘doorway’ by which the energy of the cosmos enters the body is through the medulla oblongata, at the base of the brain." (Swami Kriyananda, The Art and Science of Raga Yoga). 

Elaborates Paramhansa Yogananda ...

Thank you for the intriguing details. While I can certainly follow along, I will definitely need time to process this.

[A. Baez]

Yes, it is a lot! It typically takes numerous incarnations to fully process...still workin' at it myself. 😏