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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by malthus on August 23, 2004, at 16:39:07
When I look at the blue horizon
losing itself at a great distance,
through a gauze of dust
glittery and restless,
it seems possible to pull myself up
from the miserable ground
and float with the glittery mist
on light atoms,
which he has undone.When I look at night into the dark
depth of the sky
the stars shivering like burning
pupils on fire,
it seems possible where they shine
to rise up in flight
and drown myself in their light and with them
in white-hot fire
fuse myself into a kiss.
Posted by Atticus on August 23, 2004, at 17:14:40
In reply to poem...Fusion, posted by malthus on August 23, 2004, at 16:39:07
Transcendental longing. I know how that feels, wishing I could just unbecome and dissipate into the ether, merge with the elements of air or fire, leaving all physical and emotional pain so far behind that they can't possibly touch me, and render them into forgotten relics of the flesh. This was a very moving poem, beautifully written, and it felt very personal, because in the past when my depression was especially bad I'd lie in bed at night, unable to sleep but exhausted, and literally reach my arms up toward the ceiling trying to embrace an unnamable something that could pluck my essence from my malfunctioning mind and exhausted body, and carry it away, light as helium. Never worked, but the fantasy of it somehow helped, at least for a few moments. Atticus
Posted by malthus on August 23, 2004, at 20:24:05
In reply to Re: poem...Fusion » malthus, posted by Atticus on August 23, 2004, at 17:14:40
Atticus:
Thanks for your post. In "Fusion" I wanted to express the feeling of being so crushed by depression that the only place to find refuge from my dismal disposition, is in some celestial sphere.
I just finished re-reading The Outsider by Camus last week (first time I read it was freshman year in college some 20 years ago; not in French however.) The main character Meursalt says: "...this great outburst of anger had purged all my ills, killed all my hopes, I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world."
The poignancy of that line sums up how I feel when I'm unduly depressed; shackled to my perfunctory existence. I wanted to attach trancendentalism to the existentialism of Camus. Like you I use images to write poetry and I wanted to take the image of the stars and the kiss to transcend the sometimes hostile environment I find myself in.
It eases me to know that it felt very personal to you; that one of your former coping mechanisms was what I described in the poem: "the fantasy of it somehow helped, at least for a few moments".
malthus--the airedale with the serious puppy face
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 24, 2004, at 18:29:41
In reply to Re: poem...Fusion » Atticus, posted by malthus on August 23, 2004, at 20:24:05
> I just finished re-reading The Outsider by Camus last week...
I'd just like to plug the double double quotes feature at this site:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#amazon
The first time anyone refers to a book without using this option, I post this to try to make sure he or she at least knows about it. It's just an option, though, and doesn't *have* to be used. If people *choose* not to use it, I'd be interested why not, but I'd like that redirected to Psycho-Babble Administration:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020918/msgs/7717.html
Thanks!
Bob
Posted by malthus on August 24, 2004, at 19:27:59
In reply to Re: double double quotes » malthus, posted by Dr. Bob on August 24, 2004, at 18:29:41
> > I just finished re-reading The Outsider by Camus last week...
>
> I'd just like to plug the double double quotes feature at this site:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#amazon
>
> The first time anyone refers to a book without using this option, I post this to try to make sure he or she at least knows about it. It's just an option, though, and doesn't *have* to be used. If people *choose* not to use it, I'd be interested why not, but I'd like that redirected to Psycho-Babble Administration:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020918/msgs/7717.html
>
> Thanks!
>
> BobThanks Bob. I'll give it a try.
"The Outsider by Albert Camus"
malthus
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 27, 2004, at 10:44:51
In reply to Re: double double quotes » Dr. Bob, posted by malthus on August 24, 2004, at 19:27:59
This is the end of the thread.
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