As the magnetic resonance
flashes up an image
of zeros and ones
converted to an image
on a computer screen
so I can see
the chambers of my brain
I ask now ‘Am I only…
Continue reading at MasticadoresUSA. I have been writing a lot about life and death recently. Perhaps it is because of the pandemic, which has brought this topic into focus for many people. Perhaps it is because of the losses I have experienced in my life. I think above all it has to do with the work I am doing in meditation, that is, learning to ‘let go’ of earthly things, including my own physical self. ‘For,’ as the Bible says, ‘we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Timothy 6:7)
My thanks to editor Gabriela Marie Milton for selecting this poem for publication. Gabriela is the author of Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings, published by Vita Brevis Press. If you have not yet read this exquisite poetry collection then I thoroughly recommend it. Her new collection Woman: Splendor and Sorrow will be published at the end of July, and I for one cannot wait to read it! Follow Gabriela on Instagram for updates.
I am sharing this poem with dVerse Open Link Night. The bar opens from 3pm EST: join us and link up a poem of your choice – no prompt required!
Congratulations! Such a thought-provoking piece! 🥳
Thanks Tricia 😊
Let it go.
That’s something I should remind myself of again and again.
Thank you for your short and sweet poetry.
Lokesh
The Gondwanaland
Thank you Lokesh 🙏
Congratulations, Ingrid. It’s a very thoughtful poem.
Thank you Merril 😊
You’re very welcome!
Congratulations… I love the poem in how you really go into one of my greatest questions, how consciousness really begins (and maybe) ends. I think my poem went a little bit in the same direction today.
Thank you Björn: it’s a fascinating and labyrinthine subject!
Congratulations indeed! Thought provoking…..reminds me of being hooked up to an EKG and hearing that thumping and beginning to wonder, am I just a machine….pumping, pumping….
Thank you Lillian! I don’t think machines have written any decent poetry…yet 😅
It is a delight to read a longer and eloquently crafted poem in your voice, Ingrid, that provides not only lovely imagery and a grounding train of thought, but also a question for each individual to ponder!
Thank you Kindly Jaya 🙏
Ingrid,
Congratulations! A brilliant poem with lots of food for thought.
pax,
dora
Thank you Dora 🙏
Congratulations, Ingrid.
I especially like your closing lines:
“I exist within those borders
where time dies, stops and
lost to memory
begins again.”
Thanks Ken. It’s all a mystery, but a beautiful one!
I love the humility in this. We are elemental matter just like everything else.
Thank you Brendan. Stardust!
I am a believer in the power of meditation. I do it every day. It brings a sense of deep peace and transcends one’s being into a place of light. Yes, life and death has been the focus point in the last year. I myself believe there is something beyond here. Perhaps, it is my own NDE that has transformed me into something more.
That must have really been something. I have read many accounts of them being life-changing.
Kudos on a fine, contemplative work, Ingrid!
Thank you Ron.!
I went and read the entire piece Ingrid. This is exquisite my friend, and l resonate thoroughly eith its essence. Wonderful writing, and superb thinking — deep and engaging.
Thank you Rob, I appreciate it!
Ingrid,
Congratulations on this publication. Thanks for reminding me of Gabriela’s work. I remember really liking her poems.
Wishing you continue success in sharing your voice.
Thanks Ali – I love her poetry, so rich and beautiful!
Congratulations, Ingrid! This is such a beautiful and reflective piece.
Thank you Lucy ❤️
the chambers of my brain
I ask now ‘Am I only…
Good that you brought to the fore a thoughtful question,Ingrid!
Hank
Thanks Hank – I could drive myself crazy with these questions!
Love this Ingrid… your pictures you chose with your lines are fabulous. Love the query and inquisitiveness here. 💖
Thank you, I will keep on inquiring…😉😘🥰
The mind of a writer.. always inquiring💖👏🙏
That’s a deep meditation Ingrid. Congratulations! (K)
Thank you Kerfe. Isn’t it strange how meditation can mean both thinking and not thinking?
One of life’s mysteries.
That is a thought-provoking question – Am I only… I think the pandemic has been a time for many of us to stop and consider our lives.
I believe it has.
I wish I had learned mindful meditation years ago, slowing down my thoughts, letting go of the negative is good for what ails me! Thanks for posting!
Me too Helen, thank you!
Clever, complex, intricate, reflective and profound, a beautiful poem, Ingrid. Congratulations!
JIM
Beautiful piece, Ingrid. I love the lines, “And if I am, oh God, how beautiful anyway” they resonate so soundly with me. In those few words, you reveal a space where one can double back and see how grand this creation really is and sense there exists a deeper answer. Congratulations. ~peace, Jason
Thank you. I have to admit I took that line from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
An inspirational phrase then, indeed, inspired to you and through you, inspired to me. 🙂