Tired and haunted
His mustache
one shade yellowed
from his ruddied face
seeking sanctuary
in the speeding cathedral
of the subway train.
Rumbling cars,
black vinyl seats
and aluminum bars
repeat repeat repeat
and extend into infinity
from the sphere of his vision
From his pockets he produces
a nail, some beads, and a crucifix,
a splinter, some teeth, and old relics
photos of lost friends and icons of saints.
And after assembling his altar
he kneels and prays
‘til the driver announces his stop
and he progresses through the doors
through the throng,
through the turnstile
and ascends the stairs.
"Transcendence in Motion" originally appeared in Poesy #13 (Summer 2001) and reprinted in the anthology _Out of the Blue Writers Unite_ edited by Deborah M. Priestly and Timothy Gager (Cambridge, MA: Crooked River Press, 2003.) May be reprinted with permission of the author.
It's true that in American society the bureaucratic and capitalistic have difficulty coexisting with the mystic and the shamanic as it does not fit neatly into their ledgers, schedules, and organizational charts. Unless one finds some way to compromise or appease the materialistic world, those with such mystic tendencies are left without the support you ascribe to Indian society.
That loss of nearly all human community must drive many to madness.
~*~ Ian... this wonderful write is profound in its depiction of a homeless wandering mystic! This poem captures the exact feelings of the person in this situation. In India, the wandering homeless illumined hindu monks~mystics are revered as the highest and most revered saints... even the ones that are just beginning seekers are always given alms and shelter if needed and if they would accept it. Unless the weather is deadly... most choose to stay, on their unending pilgrimage, in the India forests, caves, verdant meadows, or perhaps in a hindu temple along their meditative sojourns. Here in the USA... if we did this... we would be scorned as bums and thrown into jail on vagrancy charges. Wandering Mystics are not recognized... nor do they have any rights, here in the USA society nor by the 'officials'. ~*~
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Thank you for such a sensitive reading.
It's true that in American society the bureaucratic and capitalistic have difficulty coexisting with the mystic and the shamanic as it does not fit neatly into their ledgers, schedules, and organizational charts. Unless one finds some way to compromise or appease the materialistic world, those with such mystic tendencies are left without the support you ascribe to Indian society.
That loss of nearly all human community must drive many to madness.
Ian
~*~*~*~ Shivani..... {Celestial Merlyn} ~*~*~*~