If We Do Not Stare, We May Yet See
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
If we do not stare, we may yet see.
We may yet comprehend
The Alpha and the Omega —
We do not know at what point
the circle is complete,
or where it begins.
This we know:
The circle can never be truly perceived,
be ever truly discerned…
without our being aware…
of the space, of the emptiness,
which it envelops —
The Naught…
Being the All.
Let it thus be now declared:
The comprehension …
of the Naught
(Give it Thought!)
is the beginning…
of all Wisdom.
Let those who have ears to hear.
Hear!
Let those who have eyes to see
See!
About this poem
“The All is the Naught. The Naught is the All. Life is short; all seems so fraught. And yet there’s some knowledge in what’s been taught. Pursue wisely, dear dreamer, that secret all sages have sought.” This reflective enigmatic poem, “If We Do Not Stare, We May Yet See,” was written in 1981 as part of a collection of aphorisms which begun in the late 1970’s, and continued for several years; and kept in a precious little cork journal that was given to the author in 1981 as a memento, by my dear Italian friend, scholar, and companion poet, Annalisa Sacca, from Latina, located in the Lazio region of central Italy. As my Italian colleague was fond of saying, in jovial merriment, “Tutti per Bacco!” (Life is short. “Enjoy the Moment.”) more »
Written on March 03, 1979
Submitted by karlcfolkes on October 25, 2021
Modified by karlcfolkes on September 13, 2022
- 37 sec read
- 318 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | AXX XXX XXX XXX BXX XBB XXC CAA |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 554 |
| Words | 125 |
| Stanzas | 8 |
| Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 |
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"If We Do Not Stare, We May Yet See" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/112750/if-we-do-not-stare,-we-may-yet-see>.
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