Divesting of the Self
64
Moving through emptiness
Carried on by the whisper of water
To a dry sea where I fossilize
Leaving others to theorize
My demise
Somewhere
Not far off
Twelve thousand miles of waterfall
Thunders
At the edge of the World
I steer straight for the rainbow
Misting over the bright edge
Crossing over
I see the waters of the Earth
Cascading into the depths
Of eternity
Beneath me
The weight of my boat falls away
Paddling is superfluous
Yet I continue thus
In a now translucent canoe
Glittering droplets
Bead up on my brow
Leaving it full of holes
Through which Light shines
Like a crown of rays
The roar fades behind
As the canoe slowly fills
My legs disappear
My paddling has no meaning
The canoe
Invisible and light as air
Carried forward apparently by its own momentum
Into the ever brightening mist
Gradually fades
I dissipate into light
As warm and wet as a womb
Penetrated by gentle questions
My self is gradually dissolved
With a sigh I cease to be
And return to being
Explanation:
Everyone must leave the physical existence. I choose to leave by canoe.
Ah, my ball and chain. I love my ball and chain, my body: this thing that has carried me though this journey. It has been my home of flesh, my vehicle and my plaything, and my means of experience. Yet I have waited all my life for this day, and I cannot take it with me. Goodbye, body. I’m not sure whether I’ll miss you or not.
I push off and coast over unseen waters toward the roar of oblivion. Even as I dip my paddle, both paddle and water fade. The illusion is fading. How I loved the illusion! I remember the vivid colors and the wonderful animal sensations in their complete wildness: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.
I recall the music I made and the music of others ringing in a symphony suddenly harmonic beyond all earthly reckoning, blending into the singular roar of the Universal Self exhaling existence with the sound of all matter and energy, deep and sonorous in everlasting perfection and peace.
As I continue paddling toward the growing white light ahead, I am lightened to the brink of nothingness, my substance little more than the air. The moisture of the birth of all things envelopes me. I am bathed in warm, moist love. With a little last tug of self I relinquish all to love, submerging at last in the vast sea of energy that connects all matter.
There are other voices, all of them mine, yet not. My substance dissolves into their questions, my essence shared to infinity. I quiet the last fearful gasp of ego with a loving caress of goodbye. No longer a self, all experiences are simultaneous, the stories told without endings for they, in fact, do not end. There is neither ending nor beginning unless I imagine it.
And because I am Me, I imagine, and become my imaginings as they manifest and expand outward, searching always and always finding and bringing back to me the myriad variations of the infinite possibilities of space/time, my creation.
When I manifest some version of myself again, let’s have lunch, shall we?
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Nice work poet. Better in fact than nice. Aren't those wild mushrooms just simply magic? Voted up and awesome.. thanks for sharing.
Loved the poem, loved the explanation behind it, and loved the art!
Amazing poem, and more amazing paintings. You are really gifted.
Excellent hub presentation. I loved it!
Oh yes, let's definitely have lunch. What a grand idea, what a lovely way to go. I can really picture this as a possibility. Beautifully written as usual, Tom.
Thanks very much, everyone. I enjoy your comments very much. I had a lot of fun writing this and creating the images. I'm very glad you enjoyed the result. :)
As Capt. Kirk said right before he died, "oh my." I like to think this was what he saw. But of course that was a movie. My beliefs differ greatly from your vision, but I have to say it was wonderful to submerge myself in your end / beginning reality. I hope we will be at the feast table in heaven together in our future.
I love that there is now a Star Trek reference here. Thank you. You know, I do feel kind of hungry after my little voyage there....
Your poems are so deep and ethereal, very visual and beautiful for the reader. It is always a lovely experience reading your poetry.
Thank you, RebekaELLE :) That is a wonderful thing to say!
Congratulations Tom Rubenoff for your Grand Prize winning poem! Regards, snakeslane
Congrats on winning the grand prize in this poetry contest!
Congratulations, Tom - a marvelous and thought-provoking work.
Congratulations! Well done Tom!
Highly deserving of a Grand Prize!
Thank you so much! I'm overwhelmed! My family is gathered around me, hugging me and congratulating me.
Thank you also to the judges for choosing my poem, and to HubPages for having this contest. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed reading it and everyone who commented.
Thanks to everyone.
Cpngradulations.
JT
nicely written well done sir!!!
You deserve the award Tom. This piece is well rounded in every aspect. Thanks for letting me know how high I have to aim the next time.
Congratulations on your win. I particularly liked how your illustrations augmented the poem.
WOOT WOOT!!!! Who's the man? What excitement!!!!!! Congratulations, Tom! We're going to celebrate your success tonight, well, all weekend. Fantastic.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had never entered a contest before. I am humbled and overjoyed to actually win. Thank you everyone, again!
Congrats! It's easy to see why you won with this entry. It is beautiful in every way. Goodnight, Mary
Thank you so much!
Beautiful , congratulations ! :) have a great evening !:)
One of the excellent benefits of participating in the contest was meeting so many wonderful poets on HP. Thank you. I cracked open a beer in celebration :)
Congratulations Tom, you certainly deserved this one. You had a few wonderful entries and another one of my favorites was The Black Lacquered Box. Bravo, well done my poetic friend. Enjoy that cold one and the cash prize comes in handy for the Festive Holidays.
Definitely, Saddlerider. Thank you. I thought the dynamic of the required explanation was very interesting. It caused me to go in directions I hadn't gone before. It was a great experience.
Congratulations! Your poetry is as beautiful as your artwork!
Congrats and very nicely done~ Short and sweet and to the point. I only wish I could express things as well as some of you more talented folks but it is all about just expressing after all, isn't it?
Expression - yes. Expression eases the feelings of isolation one can have here in the physical existence. Thank you
This took my breath away, Tom. The remarkable poetry, as well as the explanation.
"There are other voices, all of them mine, yet not. My substance dissolves into their questions, my essence shared to infinity. I quiet the last fearful gasp of ego with a loving caress of goodbye. No longer a self, all experiences are simultaneous, the stories told without endings for they, in fact, do not end. There is neither ending nor beginning unless I imagine it."
To say that this deserves the prize is an understatement. I think this work is magnificent.
Congratulations! I'm little frustrated that I did not notice this amazing piece of art until you were announced winner.
Thank you, Genna. I am glad you enjoy my writing :)
Thank you, Vinaya. I also am finding much poetry that I have not yet read by many fine poets here on HP. It's very encouraging. :)
Tom, I'm so happy for you! I was thrilled to see you received the grand prize. I remember when I first read this poem. After I read the third stanza, I shook my head in awe and knew this was the winning entry. Congrats on your win, and continue to grace us with your beautiful self. You are a great example of a winner, not only because of your brilliant, beautiful writing, but you also engage with your readers and the community. Very well done!
Enjoy.
Thank you, RebeckaELLE. I am very grateful for this honor. In the process of the contest I have met many talented poets here on HP. It is a pleasure to be here. Thanks again!
Well Done and Congrats Poet.. a well deserved spot for such a work (as described previously :) ).. I'm proud to share the champers with you Tom.. take care.. PD
congratulations . The poem , explanation and art is just great. Best wishes.
Thank you. I am still adjusting to the idea! :)
It is a beautiful piece of work. Congratulations on your win.
Congratulations Tom :-) this is a totally fantastic poem and one is carried on that journey with you so effortlessly and so pleasurably. Happy manifesting !!
Wow! No wonder this is a winner! Congratulations!
Thanks so much. I believe this is the poem I worked on first, soon after the contest was announced. I had written it a while ago and thought it might have a chance in the contest. Little did I know it would win. I am still amazed.
It's a splendid and beautiful work, Tom, and deserves to win.
Thank you, WillStarr!
Hello Tom ~ Very cool experience of the soul's journey. A hearty congratulations for the honor of Grand Prize. The competition was fierce. They must have seen the beauty in these verses. Love, Debby
You are awesome Tom did you know x
Thank you, Debbie. I was happily surprised to win since there were so many good poems.
BP, we go back to my earliest days here. Thanks so much for reading my poem.
Beautiful work! Congratulations!
Congratulations! This poem truly reveals the profound depths of your soul.
Thank you, V Qisya!
Thank you, Martie!
I very much enjoyed the writing and illustrating and of course all the comments after. Thanks again!
Congratulations on winning first place. This is a subject on a lot of people's minds. As for my own death, I want to love as long as possible and still die before I lose my wits and independence. Beyond that, I have no preference. (Small request, yes? No. )I don't want to live in a nursing home connected to a bunch of machines and no idea what's happening.
Thank you, Flora. This is on the minds of many people now. It is possible to live independently until the end, still in possession of one's faculties. I think much depends on staying physically and mentally active. They say a lot depends on genetics. Some say it is possible to simply choose to be healthy until the day you die. I think, personally, that the most important thing is to have faith that, no matter what happens, the universe will unfold as it should. Thanks again.
Nice work. Beautiful. Thank you. I really like the artwork, and the symbolism and imagery. Amazing work. Bravo.
Thanks very much, CCLitGirl! I am very glad you like it.
Congratulations on a well-deserved grand prize. Kudos.
Thank you, Sligobay!
Gosh! You see the whole package because you are the whole package! Congratulations well deserved.
I am glad to get the opportunity to learn about your talents and will be looking forward to exploring more. Congratulations!
Congratulations on your win! After reading this, I can see why you took the prize.
Thank you Rebecca and WannB. After reading the other poems in the competition, I am glad I was not a judge! That would have been a hard job. I am very grateful to have won.
Tom, I have read much of your work over three years and I believe this is the best of your best! It contains everything I love about poetry- imagery, imagination, philosophy and backstory. It's about death and in that, it is about life and light and endings and beginnings. Wow. I cannot tell you how happy I am for you, not only to win this well-deserved award, but to have achieved something so beautiful. Huge hugs to you, Tom!!!
That is so nice, Storyteller! It's great that you not only know poetry, but that you can also express so well and concisely what you like in the poetry you read. Thanks again for the care you put into reading (as well as writing) poetry, and for this praise. :)
If you gotta go, going by canoe is a fine choice. Me too...well, maybe a kayak since I already have one of those. Either way, oblivion here I come! Great work.
Canoes and kayaks are elegant craft. What better way to go? Thanks, GP !
My hubpage's friend snakeslane led me to you and this incredible poem. What you have described here could easily be my son's final moments as he crossed to the other side and that being so, your poem provides a new and wonderful perspective for me as I grieve for my son.
"I dissipate into light
As warm and wet as a womb"
My son had several years experience rafting and kayaking and he used to tell me that he felt one with the river while paddling. He was drawn to this extreme sport and lived for the exhilaration. One year ago the river claimed him. We, his family and loved ones are devastated. We miss our boy like crazy, but we do believe he left this world smiling. I love your poem and it describes what could well have been his feelings and thoughts during his last ride down the rapids.
"Paddling is superfluous
Yet I continue thus
In a now translucent canoe"
Thank you for these words.
I cannot imagine a better way to go than while engaged in an activity you love. Of course we live on in the memories of those we leave behind. My heart goes out to you and your family. Your son has moved on, but his memory remains.
I am deeply honored and moved that you found comfort in my poem. Love and light.
Congratulations on your win, Some really nice analogies here. The explanation at times, transcended to poem... but that it how great writers work.
Well done.
Well, you know, if you ask a poet to explain a poem, you might just get more poetry. :)
Thank you, Twilight Lawns!
snakeslane Level 7 Commenter 6 months ago
I'm really enjoying this piece Tom Rubenoff, the artwork, the poem, the prose poem, what a way to go...