The River and the Eddy

 You are not letting go of life; you are letting go of the reaction to life.

Michael A. Singer

After listening to Michael Singer today I worked the poem I put down yesterday a bit. It is certainly not perfect but it is a lot better than yesterday's version.  Yesterday, what came out of me was the message in long awkward sentences.  Today, with help from a little writer's ego, it became somewhat of a poem with a message. Still lacks a cadence that I am happy with...who knows maybe I will work it again...or...maybe I won't lol. Regardless, it is what it is.  

I worked it again and I will work it some more lol. It really does not want to cooperate with my writer's sense of "good enough" and that is okay...it doesn't have to. The challenge is good. 

The River and the Eddy,

A prized trophy,

carried high on the shoulders 

of a returning hero

the swimmer bobs up and down

Finally asleep after hours of splashing effort,

unaware of the strong and steady 

waves that carry it protectively along

it moves toward its own demise.

 

Whirling, swirling,

riveting in tormented circles,

the Eddy up ahead

is preparing to pull the swimmer 

from the River’s protective hold.

 

It, without mercy,

 tears all the unsuspecting,

yet the endlessly anticipating,

from its once easy peaceful float.

 

Like a bully,

hiding in the corner of the River’s bend,

it sticks out a dirty foot

from below the sparkling waves.

The surprised River,

so intent on joyfully getting to its destination,

heeding only the voice that calls it forward,

stumbles over the boulder of Samskara

and its lifetime collection of debris.

Losing its momentum, its grasp weakens.

The swimmer is torn from its clutches

and both are clumsily sucked into the

awkward barrier.

 

Tangled up in all the other floating things

the Eddy pulls toward it,

torn from its original trajectory,

splashing about in a desperate attempt

to find something solid to hang onto 

the drowning treasure

swallows the waves of misguided attempts

and sinks to the depths below.

 

All the while the rush of these Holy Waters,

the trough and crests of these mighty waves,

are still being called forward 

by the Oceans’ powerful  but unseen Force.

This Voice is strong and unrelenting,

stirring up the waters that collect behind

the impediment of samskara.

 

Yet, the cries of the River’s cargo,

the drowning swimmer,

pull the river’s attention down.

When the River is drawn

to the stuffed and stored

debris of human preferring,

to the boulders of human resistance,

forming the current of human selecting,

it has no choice but to spin

in a whirlpool of human suffering.

 

 

Down, down, down

the swimmer sinks,

 pulled by this vortex of trapped energy, 

 into the mirky depths

that build up and break down

behind the boulder of samskara.

And the River …

the powerful , majestic river ...

follows,

while the Eddy triumphantly claims

this that will make it stronger.

 

The Ocean sings again,

calling out in compelling whispers,

for the River to leave the swimmer behind

and come home.

Not wanting to abandon that which 

it clung to for so long,

the River still resists

and twirls and swirls

around and around

making the Eddy stronger.

 

Still, that Force calling  the River forward

is determined to bring all its Ripples home.

Unknown to this tiny disturbance of river

trapped in the ferocious Eddy

 Life goes on beyond it.

In the flow of that universal Life,

exists the free- flowing Shakti.

Pure and free, 

moving in glorious sparkling persistence,

back to the Source from where it came

the rest of undisturbed river

flows with a message for all who will listen:

Stop resisting, relax,

and let the ocean pull you home.

 

The River finally hears the soothing chorus

over the rush  of human drama. 

It lets go. 

As soon as it releases its hold on the swimmer,

allowing the flimsy, lifeless carcass 

to fall to the muddy bottom,

its waters move back up to the surface

where they sparkling like a million diamonds

embrace the sunlight once again.

The boulders dissolve, the debris disperses

 and the Eddy is no more.

The River, then, without the heaviness of Swimmer,

the barrier of Samskara, 

 is set free to continue its joyful journey home. 

© Dale-Lyn July 2024

All is well.