Tag Archives: philosophy

Your Love

(For Ra)

Not the avalanche of twilight
Nor the moonbeam mist
Or the rain-wrapped clouds above

But a poetic movement
A mythical magical dream
A first and only

Some high and higher
Some better and best
Some always and never

Your love has no lows
No descents, no plateaus
No warnings, no dangers

That should be said another way
(Or in endless ways, really)
So let’s try it again

Your love has no phases
No halves, no slivers, no waning
It’s just full, complete, swoony … like when the sky supports the whole of the moon

The Lesser of Two Evils

By Benjamin Grossman and Cassa Bassa

The glacial battle begins in our heads
Face pressed to the sun-pierced window pane
January snow in recession, the signs of regression 
Half hidden like an iceberg in the arctic water 
And where once a soft glow illuminated the surface 
Only the placement of desolation remains
Reverberating silent screams 
  
There is no one way of knowing cold
The stages are fluid and transient
Its meaning bitterly ambiguous 
Yet in rare lucid moments, I see husks
An empty bed, scarred skin, chattered teeth
Spirit-numbed mind, missed meals, vacant smiles

There is no one way of knowing cold
Its symptoms appear to have no rhyme or reason
Although they move with wintry doom
From person to person increasing in aggression 
Till you understand the meaning of icy
Which unbeknownst to us creeps in succession 

There is no one way of knowing cold 
Though maybe it’s always the same
Emotional and physical reaction 
A state of feeling dangerously low
Struggling to survive between cold and colder
The very same polar opposites: Arctic and Antarctica

(This is part of a collaborative poetic effort between myself and Cassa Bassa. Make sure you check out her blog by visiting Flicker Of Thoughts. She’s always coming up with some exciting words! And often sketches, too.)

My Ra

Ra was a divine being
And so far I can’t find
Any evidence to support you’re not.

Some say he created us
Through sweat and tears
I’m not saying
You’ve done the same
Yet there are times
I’ve felt baptized in yours
Thought you were the only reason
The gods ever created human beings.

Ancient Egyptians often
Called themselves: “Cattle of Ra”
I’m not ashamed to say
You’re my shepherd
I’d follow you anywhere you lead.

Now, Ra is best known as a sun god
The ruler of both the Earth and sky
And, of course, it’s true you rule mine
But maybe you’re nothing like him
Because the way you shine
Blinds the light.

My Love

My love is not an I, I, I
It’s a you, you, you
An us, us, us.

My love cannot be put to bed
It never closes its eyes
It never sleeps—can’t be laid to rest.

My love cannot ungrow
It’s for all seasons
Blossoms in the sunshine and the moonlight.

My love is an “original goodness”
A remembered dream
That which can resuscitate a heart.

Doubling Time

So maybe I won’t be your
good morning or good night
Maybe I won’t be able to
bake you that birthday cake from scratch
or massage your favorite oil
into your hair or even paint your toenails
your favorite shade of sea green.

And maybe we won’t be able to cry together
or hold each other’s hands delicately, tenderly, tightly
when it really matters—when it really counts
Because maybe love doesn’t conquer everything
and that’s the real lesson, the real truth
hidden beneath our utopian relationship
But you know what?
I still believe our love has no half-life.