Heidegger's A.M.
Coffee breaks
the chain
of neglect
of the problem of being.
Coffee grounds
the problem in ancient inquiries
concerning being not being beings.
Before coffee
what is not sought
is not unfamiliar
though ungraspable, hot,
but after the first shot
everyone understands
"The sky is blue," "I am happy,"
statements like that.
A white ring mars a dark table.
The problem, the mug
being unmistakable.
By Les Gottesman
from the Spring issue of The Antioch Review
Coffee breaks
the chain
of neglect
of the problem of being.
Coffee grounds
the problem in ancient inquiries
concerning being not being beings.
Before coffee
what is not sought
is not unfamiliar
though ungraspable, hot,
but after the first shot
everyone understands
"The sky is blue," "I am happy,"
statements like that.
A white ring mars a dark table.
The problem, the mug
being unmistakable.
By Les Gottesman
from the Spring issue of The Antioch Review
6 comments:
Once our addictions are served, and we fall into the habitual unconsciousness of life, the world seems real, the questions go away, but so does the questing and the wonder.
I left a comment in your Furry Friend post. I'm enjoying the thoughts and the energy here.
Jon, I love your explanation of this post. Clear and beautiful. Clarity is always a gift.
Kudos Graceful Presence for maintaining an oasis of graceful presence in our often ungraceful world.
"but after the first shot
everyone understands"
Now that's my kind of coffee....
I love Heidegger...but I just gave away all my copies of his books. What's wrong with me?! Nothing: now, not having them, I listen to their reverberations echo back like long-lost friends, and wait for them to come back to me unexpectedly, in poems just like these. :)
Cheers! Chris
"Coffee grounds
the problem in ancient inquiries
concerning being not being beings."
What opportunities we glimpse over our coffee, "concerning being not being beings." When we are 'not being' beings we should enjoy our coffee; enjoy 'not being beings' even as we are delighted in our moments of 'being.'
All questions should patiently wait until after coffee- I agree.
This poem reminds me to always leave ample room for showering just a little more cream into the dark liquid essence we confuse as our being. Clouds swirl and we sip off the top, afraid to gulp knowing deep draws so early burn into our all day ponderings.
Little sips, little sips and what of the mug and white ring mars? Let us grow into the answer of container, containing and scars. Perhaps opportunities for healing, just perhaps.
Tommy,
Your delight in being -
unmistakable.
Joe
M~
You put the dandelion back up. The light is
astounding!
~J
Post a Comment