Sunday, January 20, 2008

Back in College

I would find something at hand--
A bicycle, a paperclip, or a friend,
And say,
"If I call this the name we know it as,
I deny its eternal qualities.
Yet if I do not call it by that name,
I deny its presence here and now..."

At this point, I would be met with
Raised eyebrows, and I'd ask:
"What then, shall we call it?"

Needless to say, I wasn't winning popularity contests.

4 comments:

Shimmerrings said...

Ha! I like this, it's really funny. I used to know someone else who used to say things like that (my gone-away husband)... and people really do not know what to say, because some things just never occur to them. He used to make people think... I think. Lol. At least he stimulated my own mind. And I believe that I did, of his, as well.

Traveler said...

Hey shimmerrings (although in Ohio right now it's more like shiverrings!). So great to hear from you--you certainly keep stimulating my mind.

Shimmerrings said...

Ohio? ... brrrrrr... my sister and her family lived there, in the Toledo area, for many, many very cold, cold years. I still recall tales of people getting lost in snow drifts and pipes bursting, being without food and water, etc, etc, etc. I hope you manage to keep warm and dry. You don't happen to live near Vermillion, do you? I have a lost long friend in that area.

Oceanshaman said...

A koan to ponder, methinks . . .