two poems on day two of government shutdown

By Eric Hart Samuelson on Oct 02, 2013 at 08:55 AM in in poetry, one mind, spirit of one

Two poems, "One Take on Race Consciousness" and "Sucking It Up" by Eric Hart Samuelson, on day two of the federal government shutdown. Maybe it's time for some inner reflection�

Two poems, "One Take on Race Consciousness" and "Sucking It Up" by Eric Hart Samuelson, on day two of the federal government shutdown. Maybe it's time for some inner reflection in order to mitigate the illusion of duality being projected by our politicians stuck in the mire of a power struggle. It's easy to get lost in the rhetoric of it all, so I tend to turn to art and poetry, to spirit, to center myself and to reaffirm the truth of universal oneness in order to carry on with the highest good for us all in mind. Below are two poems I wrote this year and finished editing this morning that reflect my process through this societal ordeal we are experiencing.

One Take On Race Consciousness

Breaking waves, swells
of temporary insanity
that come when we forget
about control. Don't have
any, really. The delusion
that we do grows out
of the kind of race
consciousness that has
a corrosive undercurrent
bogging down progress,
dogging our evolution
as a species – dug in.
Yet, humanity goes on
evolving – taking on
the overwhelming pull
of this global consciousness.
Its energy whips up already
rough seas where we are
constantly in jeopardy
of being pulled under
or dragged farther out
from shore, farther away
from our true selves, both
individually and collectively.

Sucking It Up

When I focus on breath, I am centered in
a subjective awareness of a sweet nothing
I cannot describe, other than to say, it is
a mysterious space devoid of actual mystery
where I feel I know everything, yet it remains
indescribable in spite of being fully discernible
to the inner eye. The silence brings shear peace,
or utter misery couched in restlessness if not
sweet on being in the presence of myself,
and only myself — being my own worst enemy
due to admitted erroneous decision making
popping up like stubborn purple thistle that
bursts through concrete. At first glance it
seems like an impenetrable material no plant
could poke through and even thrive in, bent
toward the sunlight as it rolls right over
our heads every day. Slipping into looking to lay
blame for anything and everything we don't like
happening in and around us — this silence,
for some, proves to be one of the worst spots
to be in, even though it sure seems like
a common way to be. One blink, dig it or not,
grooving on myself or not, shift happens
because it has to. Let's look each other in
the eyes, open the windows to our collective soul
so we can dance in the undeniable universal spirit,
be there for a while, laugh, cry, and smile.