Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Monolith

A friend asks, what's the meaning of the black rock in "2001 Space Odyssey". There's devilish intent in her question, she insists I answer. Perhaps I'll see if my thoughts are insanely stupid or short sighted, after I re-read them in a number of years:

One pernicious myth, perhaps just hubris, is that humans are the apex consciousness on our planet, even our galaxy. Never mind that we still do not understand consciousness, we believe, as children believe, we are the best at it. Wander through the Museum of Natural History to get the picture. Human evolution is the supreme act, the pinnacle story of life Earth, look there go the giant dinosaurs, inferior because they died out.

Call it the standard model. Sense a certain house-proud disregard for the other more primitive beasts. Witness our evolution, up from the apes. Dioramas of early human societies, displayed in the same manner as collected bison, and creatures from Africa and South America.

Astronomers have more or less proven, by means of mathematical probability, that other life forms not only exist, but actually are very prevalent in the universe, simply because the universe is so large and the abundance of other solar systems and planets so great.

It is also a mathematical certainty that life forms exist which surpass us in age, history, technological and intellectual might. They may not even be carbon or water based life forms! Those that are confident of the existence of extraterrestrial life know this in their guts. Others know it from first hand experience, claiming to have been contacted directly, or abducted. For Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Clarke in the late 1960's these were ground-breaking ideas.

What would contact with a higher level of consciousness feel like? How would we describe it? What would we see? Would the visitor leave signs, or a token that it had visited? I'll second what many before me have written and say the black monolith stands as a reminder left by a superior consciousness, that man has arrived at some stage of evolution, be it tool-making or space-travel . . . or life outside of time and space.

One might consider this notion another way. If the monolith is a sign of the passing presence of a superior intelligence, are we simply noticing it when we are ready to? In other words is the monolith put there for us to notice then, or now? On another axis, what evidence of superior life forms are we currently oblivious of, simply because our minds cannot recognize them as living?

And what if that alien consciousness does not live within three dimensions, like us, but rather exists in multiple dimensions? They would not be visible to us at all, unless, either intentionally or as a side effect of their presence, they left some sort of sign, like a crystal.

Hence that perfect black rock.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Europa




She sits with me above . . .
terrible mistress, a huntress with a bow . . .
She sits on me now . . .
Waits to prey on me below.

When she is alone with me . . 
Though all my heart is love 
All I do is wait her out,
Until skies are clear above.

She sits heavy above my brow,
Says all my love is show
She calls down, a raven mocking,
A weasel snapping at a dove.

She sits with me now
Raining out my fears,
She strikes another hurtful blow
Calling names, calling jeers.

When she sits with me
All my life's a joke
And when I look back at her . .
I see blackest smoke.

Friday, January 3, 2014

For 'N'



In your many names I see . . .  frank sense . . . ways demure . . .  where did you go?
I'm missing your dreams . . .  my dreams too . . .  our poetry . . .
 . . . . When I was to heaven sent . . . .
Our grapes . . .  our tea . . .  our sacrament.

My voice is hoarse . . . my feathers black . . .
I'm in my coffin..  on my back . . .  I'm spent.
Come open it up, come let me out . . .
Release me from this awful drought.

You fed Egypt, fields waving . . .
You're dreaming for your dead brother and lover,
Osiris from the underworld who came,
You're sad wondering, how is it possible . . .
To put him together again.
 . . . Isis and Osiris will find each other,
 . . . you're his sister, wife. .  and mother.

I saw you dancing your dance to day . . . holding two ears of corn . . .
 . . . the Goddess with a microphone . . .
I saw your dance . . . I heard your voice . . .
I felt your trance . . . amidst the glances
 . . . of a dozen admiring boys.

I wanted to talk to you . . .
Of your wishes and your dreams . . .
I wanted to meditate upon your clues
And compose your light in beams . . .

I dreamt two rivers . . . both fresh and blue . . .
They joined . . . and then they talked to each other . . . in a deep mournful tune.
Rivers like a road . . . I floated down both,
No need to drive . . . or walk . . . this you know . . .

You say you are dark . . . this isn't true . . .
You are so light inside . . . the rest just isn't you . . .
You brought light . . . you brought me back to life . . .
You brought a gift . . . I know you were a wife.

I'm feeling the hurt in your heart . . .
And I'm wanting to help that . . .
Yes what would the world do . . .
If there were no fear.

At last fear rolls the wheel
 . . . of Kali's terrible cart.
It carries away my body
 . . . away in sixteen parts.

I await you finding me again. .
 . . . I wait where it is dark . . .
I await you calling my name,
 . . . I wait you calling, "M__k".


Photo: Painting by Max Beckmann


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