“through the act of living, the discovery of oneself is made concurrently with the discovery of the world around us. . ."

Monday, August 25, 2008

Nada



"It was all nothing, and a man was nothing, too...Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it was nada y pues nada y pues nada. Our nada who art in nada nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee..."

If this silence lengthens

To weeks, months – why, even years

You might not learn it when I die.

If we are never to meet again,

You will never see the lines

That ravage my face.

If we are never to talk again

You will never know

That you were there

Always in my thoughts.


You shrug, says ‘so what?’

‘What if you died –

Everyone does, don’t they?

What if you got old –

Everyone does, don’t they?

What if

I don’t care whether you think of me or not?’


Nothing matters, really.

Or doesn't it?

Does ‘nothing’ – that is, having nothing, matter?

Or is it that ‘nothing’ – no thing, matter?

I say, what really matters is – nothing, the vacuum.

All that matters to you is you

And all that doesn’t relate to you, doesn’t.

Take you out of you,

Nothing remains

The way I now take me out of I …

Which is to say, the world ceases to exist when you do.


It reaffirms my belief that everything is actually

Nada, nada, nada, nada.

**************** Balachandran V, 25.08.2008


2 comments:

  1. U were right. I do like this poem. I like the unity of thought melded in a rhythm disarrayed yet finding a common core(hope that makes sense!!)

    Especially "Nothing matters" & "Nothing remains". Striking! Reminds me of Godot- "Nothing to be done!"

    Anyway,liked it, enjoyed it very much!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. When nothing matters, then is the ecstasy of being. Beautifully crafted poem. There is some irresistable power in its movement, aggressive as a fencer flashing the blade this way and that way and pressing forward, thrusting forward.

    ReplyDelete

Leave a word, please!