This golden moment #haibun #dVerse

The washing machine sloshes with a dim, somnolent hum, but that’s not it. My heart pumps, blood also sloshes: if I close an ear, I can hear it. That’s not it either. I draw breath, try to breathe the light, breathe out the darkness: is this it? Getting closer.

Time spent in meditation is time out of mind. I don’t have to force it; if I force it, it won’t come, but if I let it come, my mind switches to a zero-state. It’s like hitting restart on the computer. Once I do this, for however long, I’m able to function much better. But this isn’t it either.

We are not simply machines. In that zero-state I tune into a different kind of consciousness: vast, beautiful, unknowable.

This golden moment
when inspiration whispers
bliss is eternal.

Written for dVerse

Tonight, Frank is hosting Haibun Monday, and has asked us to ‘write a haibun that expresses the present moment.’

I try to spend some time in meditation every day. It can be a powerful and life-changing experience. I’m still a long way off experiencing spiritual enlightenment, but I see cracks of light through the darkness of perception every now and then, so I keep practicing.

The peace which comes through meditation is also conducive to writing poetry. As Wordsworth famously stated in his preface to Lyrical Ballads (1798):

‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.’

It’s true that in the past, I had plenty of overflowing emotions, but very little tranquility. It is hard for me to write poetry without finding that peaceful reflective space.

59 thoughts on “This golden moment #haibun #dVerse

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    1. I think maybe people try too hard. There are some good guided meditations on YouTube you can use as a starting point. I can’t get through my day without them.

  1. I love the way you captured the washing machine and body sounds, something that happens at the start of meditation, before you climb the stairs to peace. I used to meditate, but these days my mind is even noisier than the washing machine! I would love to achieve that golden moment again.

  2. I find the silence quickly, the moment I’m challenged to write something, prose, poetry or journal. My restart button clicks on as I immerse myself in the creative act, a form of love making for me.

    1. Thank you for sharing this insight into your creative process. I find it very interesting to learn how other writers write!

  3. Well, we both have the washer running today and our thoughts swirling in similar patterns. Your poem is a great reminder to give myself more golden moments of bliss.

  4. The slosh and hum of the washer and your beating heart is an interesting comparison and one I will be reminded of when I next hear the rhythmic slosh and spin. 💓 Continued enjoyment on your meditation path. 🧘🏻‍♀️✨

  5. This is so beautiful, Ingrid. It’s enchanting. I really felt what you meant by “zero-state” regarding meditation. I have not meditated much, but when I have, that’s the perfect description for it. It feels like everything and nothing flowing all at once, only if I let it come and pass. I feel this piece itself is a nice guide to meditation; I should try it again and perhaps more often. 🙂

  6. Great post Ingrid. I love how you can let your mind coast and take you to that place of eternal bliss! Perhaps that is what happens at the end of life as well.? Well done.

    1. I think it probably is, once we accept and let go. A comforting thought for those who have lost loved ones. Thank you Dwight 🙏

  7. Ingrid,
    I was pulled into this wondering what you were listening for. I liked the suspense of not being sure where you were taking me. In particular the phrase, this isn’t it either. Sometimes life is more about peeling away what is not, to find what I am looking for. This process takes time whether it is meditation or something else.
    I enjoyed this very much.
    Wishing you a wonderful day.
    Ali

  8. I’ve never been able to meditate properly, although I suspect it must feel like falling inside ones self.I really enjoyed reading your haibun, Ingrid. It feels peaceful.

  9. Words can never capture the feeling, but you’ve given us a glimpse. I like especiallyhow you contrast is with life’s background noise. (K)

      1. I can believe it. It’s going to be a long process. I found the tape, now I’m looking for my stapler! One problem is that the dust aggravates my allergies. It happens every move.

  10. Thank you Ingrid, such a deep inner journey. I love meditation and find it crucial to my very being. I particularly enjoyed the last line of the prose above all.

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