From: E. Shaun Russell (e_shaun@uniserve.com)
Date: Mon Sep 02 1996 - 16:52:19 MDT
Some might say that this poem is not really transhuman or extropian,
but I would tend to disagree. A lot of poetry (this one in particular)
leaves a lot of the assumption up to the individual reader. In this poem, I
strayed away from close detail of the events which occur. I find it is not
neccessary in this.
It might help if you know the Greek myth of 'Narcissus' prior to
reading this poem.
THE OAK AND THE POOL
I was on my way to ecstasy
A sojourn to the unknown
My life had made a mess of me
I needed to atone
Happiness was coming
There was no need to be scared
Though my fear was almost numbing
I went forward with my teeth bared
My eyes opened on solitude
A thing I never had
It totally changed my attitude
The silence made me glad
I was in a forest glen
Near a reflective pool
Far from any men
Away from any rule
I walked slowly to an oak tree
It stood upon the pool's rim
This was a place I wanted to be
I decided to go for a swim
But I saw my own reflection
And I presumed it was bonafide
I gazed hard with affection
For the pool mirrored my inside
I'd never thought much of vanity
Or believed in total peace
But when I saw that image of me
I hoped it would never cease
I stared for hours on end
I couldn't look away
And I soon began to depend
On the pool and it's colours gay
Then suddenly it hit me
As I watched the water reflect
That no matter what I could see
There is no such thing as perfect
There is always more to be found
Always further to go
More to be unbound
Always more to know
So I quickly broke my gaze
>From the enchanting pool
I would not spend all my days
As a catatonic fool
I got away as fast as I could
>From the pool and oak
Escaped the mystical wood
And its perceptual joke
I have a moment of reflection
Every now and then
I ponder on perfection
And think about that glen
It allowed me to perceive
What I never would have guessed:
It is what man does not achieve
That makes him strive to be the best
By: E. Shaun Russell
In light of recent debates on the extropian ML, I feel obliged to
emphasize my copyright on this poem: "The Oak And The Pool" copyright 1996
by the author E. Shaun Russell. There. If anyone *does* want a copy,
simply send me a request at e_shaun@uniserve.com and I will send a copy back
ASAP.
-E.S.R.
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