The Solipsist
By Troy Jollimore
Don't be misled:
that sea-song you hear
when the shell's at your ear?
It's all in your head.
That primordial tide—
the slurp and salt-slosh
of the brain's briny wash—
is on the inside.
Truth be told, the whole place,
everything that the eye
can take in, to the sky
and beyond into space,
read the rest here
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Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe is our Poetry Friday round-up host today.
11 comments:
Yes, we have to work hard for that inner awareness, don't we? Thank you for the poem, Tabatha. Hope you have a great day!
Well, I've never heard of Procrustes, & now I've learned something about adjustment, in the brain perhaps? Thanks Tabatha, glad you made it back before Arthur! Happy Holiday!
That primordial tide—
the slurp and salt-slosh
of the brain's briny wash—
is on the inside.
I think I need to spend some time inside this stanza - listening to this tide.
This poem has a different take on the "we are stardust" theme. The pragmatic voice was appealing -- a nice balance with the poem's grand subject matter.
For such a cerebral poem, love the amazing tactile references like "the slurp and salt-slosh" and "The soft ghost in the squishy machine." Have to appreciate that final argument as well!
I know it's not really the sound of the ocean, but I still pretend.
I love Troy Jollimore, too - the first half of his book TOM THOMSON IN PURGATORY is filled with beautiful poems like this (and the second half is filled with wild and weird modern sonnets.) Glad to see a poem of his offered up for Poetry Friday!
My favorite part of this poem, after all the straight-talkin, there's-nothing-out-there-but what's-inside, is the casual assumption that God turned our faces outward. Thanks, Tabatha--crazy tube of fun on its way to you!
Should I admit that I have never heard of Troy Jollimore? This is a poem I want to slosh around in my head for awhile. Lots to think about…
Don't feel bad, Carol, neither had I heard of him. What a stunning introduction, however! Thanks for sharing it Tabatha.
What a thoughtful post, dearest Tabatha. These lines spoke to me:
The planet you carry
will shortly swing back
from the far nether regions.
And life will continue—
but only within you.
--- here's to honoring the universe within.
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