A Cloud of Caribou (Public)

This twists me ten thousand ways between today, tomorrow, and the truth. For a moment I stood on the edge of now. I liked it. Thank you.

Masterful, Tom.

It is a Feature in the Triple Name Club.

Consumes me
shivering
as one stirring spark
changing
from moment
to moment
a momentum
of ten thousand
carabou
me and you
craving
the truth

oops...caribou. Tom this is breathtaking. Bravo.

Kate - I am delighted at your response and am so happy you liked this. Thank you for your attention to my writing and your comments here.

Kathryn - Thank you for the marvelous compliment and the feature on the esteemed Triple Name Club.

Jan - Thank you so much for your response - I feel especially gratified when you are moved to comment with your poetic voice, and your reflection here is a superb re-voicing - beautiful words from a beautiful soul. :-)

This writing makes me breath deeper. A sensory, lovely creation. I love this Tom.

I love the title of this poem as well as the double use of the notion of the ¨ten thousand¨for the image of the herd as well as the indissoluble sum of the Many in the One, according to Lao Tsu.

¨All things arise from Tao. They are nourished by Virtue. They are formed from matter. They are shaped by environment. Thus the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honour Virtue. Respect of Tao and honour of Virtue are not demanded. But they are in the nature of things. Therefore all things arise from Tao. By Virtue they are nourished, developed, cared for, sheltered, comforted, grown and protected. Creating without claiming; doing without taking credit; guiding without interfering - this is Primal Virtue.¨

In the latter sense, you have truly written a Taoist poem from the standpoint of the creatures´witnessing of its/their own essential nature in the surround. As a first person address here, the I of the individual gives way seemlessly to the´we´as the poem speaks to shared consciousness and the need for intersubjectivity for truth to be created.

A wonderful, intuitively deep piece. I will no doubt get more philosophical in the private forum for this piece, Tom, but I want to congratulate you here for a virtuoso use of language in a taut, minimalist way to get your sense of ´field awareness´across.

Thanks for posting to Just Poetry!

This set of wings suits you, too, Tom. You must like it up there, you're building up a lot of air time! ;-]

Tom, this is simply marvelous on several levels! The images pulse with power and beauty. I had to read and savor it several times before I could even comment. It was if I "felt" this poem on a deeper level.

I think you could say I loved it. :)

Thank you, Tom, for this beautiful gift, and for publishing it on a day when I actually have time to read and relish it. I can almost see the entire herd stirring and running, turning together at the same instant, guided by something in the unified field. It makes me feel connected to the world in one more way, as new synapses are created in my brain that lock me into the quest to find and follow the flow of the Tao. It makes me feel that the ultimate secret is there waiting just outside our awareness, sending us an occasional shiver to remind us that we crave that flowing motion.

your writing is most thought provoking. i really like it. my liking defies analysis.

Quite an excellent piece, Tom.

Thanks for posting to Writing Essentials.

Deep and thought provoking. I relish reading your works, Tom.

Lydia - Thank you so much. There is a deeper breath in us all if we take the moment to find it.

John - I am happy to see you back, hope that you and Inma had a safe trip, and am praying now for a return to normalcy (such as it is) soon. :-)

Your take on this is right on, and is influenced, obviously, by Lao Tzu and Taoist notions. The intersubjectivity of consciousness to create truth is inspired from "The Origin of the Work of Art," which you so wisely suggested. It is slow reading for me, but I agree that it is a fascinating work. You should be a teacher. ;-)

Sheila - Thank you for your group.

John B. - I'm afraid I'm flying blind, feeling my way through this with just my voice (does that make me a bat?). I am trying to incorporate new ideas, and I cherish the kind words of support I receive from writers such as yourself. Thank you so much.

Pam - what a wonderful response - all I could ask for really. I must apologize for my lack of presence here lately, and for not reading more of your stellar writing. I am coming your way again today.

Gerry- Thank you for your inspiring dedication to meaningful discourse and the perspectives it brings us all. And I am so happy you had the time to see this today; I know how busy you have been this year. As this coalesced in my head, I thought of you and your unflinching reach for truth and honesty. It is that spirit that so intrigues me, and was a huge part of the genesis of this. Enjoy your (hopefully) day off. :-)

Poddar - the feeling is mutual, my friend. Thank you for stopping by and reading.

John P - My pleasure, and thank you for including it in the group. Glad to connect with you, as well.

Vijay - you honor me with such a compliment, thank you.

Dean - How can I say what your comment means? I have lately been trying to write with an eye toward disclosing something, shining light on some truth. Your affirmation that I succeeded in this by even the smallest measure is like a surge of electricity through my body, lighting my mind on fire with satisfaction. If I can do this even once I am happy. Thank you so much for reading and for sharing your remarkably generous words.

I have never seen caribou, but your poem lets me know that our worlds are entwined with nature as a guide.

A beautiful and thought provoking poem, Tom. Loved it!

The focal magnetism of the caribou's stance works so well to frame the ever-twitching nuances that we inherently voice from animal/spirit fusion. The multi-trajectory sensory interfaces, in ideal and idealized moments, all become One universal breath within which we collectively, sigh, cry, gasp, moan, and whisper sweet nothings in melding inside Spirit. But the unique voice of the"I' is born to create, to manifest growth alterations from saturations and little licks of life that seem to crave footprints in the snow, in the sand, and in the heart. I love this poem so, so much Tom. Thank you for putting your new sparks inside my "tomorrow's truth".

wow!!
Fantastic poem with deep insight.

One more visit--it's wonderfully inspiring to see how words work when they get passed freely back and forth from one brain to another. It's wonderful to see the effect that comments have had on you, and I look forward to the results down the road.

insightful and deliberate. Thanks Tom

Captures the beauty, strength, and psyche of the animal. You are so talented.

You take us into the mind of the caribou by the scene setting. The last two lines were a bit unsettling to me.

And create, as we change our field,
Tomorrow's truth.

What if there is no room to create and change becomes impossible. As things stand now they are on the threatened fringes of their 1,200 mile journey and there is no farther north to go. Tomorrow's truth may spell demise.

The life of the peripatetic caribou as seen through eyes that take the movements to heart and create peace in the animals' souls as they rediscover old ground with new grass. I love it, Tom. Your choice of external visuals of the herd and environs to make the scene come to life are impeccable and magnificent to read. As my granddaughter would say, "Cool!"

Anne - thank you for your time and for reading this. Yes, nature is definitely entwined with us; I'm happy your had this affirmed for you here.

Cheryl - You are so kind with your remarks. Thanks for reading and commenting.

Laura - you recount my words with such artistry and beauty - yes, we share a breath through our own volition, being everything for just that moment, where that moment consists of everything - except tomorrows truth. For that we wait on creation, creation of those within each moment, to choose the circumstances of their futures and deign their own truth, even as the collective acts intersubjectively to embrace and lift up that truth.

little licks of life that seem to crave footprints in the snow, in the sand, and in the heart. Laura - This is so lovely, I wish I could write like you. :-)

Manoj - Thank you so much for reading - glad you enjoyed this.

Gerry - Yes, the insights shared by others reveal things I didn't even think of, and makes the whole thing spin. Thanks for returning - now that you have an extension, I'm expecting something for Friday Writing Essentials next week. :-)

Neal, you are too kind, but keep it up. I love seeing you on my threads, as much for your wonderful painted icon as for the incisive remarks.

Alice - Why thank you so much. You are kind to say that, and I am happy you enjoyed my poem.

Rose - I am humbled by your suggestion and compliments. Thank you so much for reading my work and sharing your reactions. I once saw a herd of about 2,500 caribou migrating across a slope in Denali National Park about 100 yards from me. It was, to say the least, awe-inspiring.

William - I wanted to write a piece about a caribou herd on the surface, but also as a metaphor for the incessant need to change in our culture and what that does to our relationship with truth. Truth being discovered, not created, I envisioned the herd as the chaotic, changing circumstances of everyday that obscured our view of what truth is. Only when the herd settles down will we be able to create an opening, to brush away the noise and distraction and disclose truth, whether that truth is the love of your life or a nourishing blade of grass. And as the circumstances (the chaotic veil behind which truth hides) are wont to do, they don't retreat, but rather regain momentum, causing the herd to move again, looking for that place it has never seen, but that it knows, glowing in its bones, because the truth is there to be "unconcealed."

Jim - thanks - your granddaughter sounds cool. I imagine you are teaching her the love and value of the outdoors, so I am doubly happy to have another generation of Ross enjoying my work.

Hi Tom this is such a moving poem. Ha...moving is the word.
And it's in the moving that the metaphor lies. And it's in the kind of moving that determines our own destiny.

aricou, in your country and the wildebeest, in my own countrry, seemingly rush crazily on and on. But unlike humans. they don't. There is method in their madness just as there are consistencies in their patterns. They do it for sound survival reasos.

We, the humans, rush madly on and on merely to hide our madness. Perhaps thinking that any action is better than no action.
Your poem rightfully throws doubt on this supposition. You rightfully ask where are we going? I don't have an answer.