i had forgotten, but now i remember (redux)

Here’s another repeat that seems more timely than ever. I posted this poem on December 7, 2008, and am pleased to present it once again.

For reasons that seem unimportant now
The memory of limitless existence slipped my mind
Loosened from the landscape surrounding my being
And lodged itself in a deep cave of forgetting
Ah Yes, now I remember…

The agreements drawn up and codified
Shuttled from lifetime to lifetime on trains endlessly circling the roundhouse
Came up for review,
And I marked one, then another, with the time/date stamp of The Now
Declaring them null and void, and afire with the passion of unfolding grief
I cried, “Oh yes, I remember…”

For so many eons I forgot to remember
Chose by decree to place my own brilliance in a lockbox of ancient origin
Pulled taut the veil that encircled my eyes and bound my heart in a shroud of detachment
Muffled my authentic voice every moment it rose up in tentative emergence
Buttoned up layer upon layer of threaded memory that refused to unravel
Moved about the cabin in the haze of a self-induced field of myopia
And forgot the one story that overshadowed the rest
Until the time was ripe to remember…

I remember walking in infinite grace and wisdom
Creating every nuance of a glorious whole
Effortlessly picking succulent fruit from the bas-relief of a verdant forest
And having no word, tone or hue that carried the meaning of “lack.”

I remember being borne out of Love
Lips bright and shining with the fragrant sound of Yes!
Until others resounded with a thunderous No!
And shirking the harsh echoes of their company
I forgot there was no other, only self-reflection…

I remember being shown the ways of the warrior
Given a strong heart with which to Love and be Loved
And a sharp sword to cut through the tangle
Of branches and thorns that would inevitably litter my path
Yet somewhere along the road, I forgot to remember…

Seeking out the Why, I forgot to ask Why Not?
Grasping to Become, I forgot simply to Be
Desperately yearning for connection, I forgot and instead, dismingled
Pushing toward the goal line and entranced by the , I forgot to play,
In the haste to understand others
I forgot to recognize my own gaze in every pair of eyes I met…

The ceiling is shattered, the container expanding
So much more to embrace with nary a crack
Frayed stories lie in tatters while Truth beckons gentle
It’s time Now! We can remember what we chose to forget…