Cataleptic Descent (2005)

A Poem by Wesley Dingler

Dedicated in this form

To Caroline LaVelle:

"Turning Ground," "Karma," "Firefly Night".

See this couple holding hands?

They flex like rubber-bands

Not a worry, not a care, just one another

They’re fundamentally in a perfect scenery

And I’ll bet they couldn’t care how all this came to be

Could you explain to me

How I so tragically

Lost touch with such reality?

I guess I lost my grip

I guess I’ve been amiss

I guess I’ve thought my way from all of this

Tell me, who can understand

The story better than the man

Who, through his life, told it?

I admit sometimes I can be as equally

Matched as trying to play chess while blind-folded

--the meaning of life

is all too often lost

in the analysis of its structure--

But it was not intentionally

That I despondently

Lost touch with such reality

It’s like I’ve been entranced--

Perhaps a second glance

At the footsteps that led me away from this dance?

© 2020 Wesley Dingler

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Reviews

E.P. Robles

I perceive this poem as a contemplative expression of introspection and a search for meaning in the poet's personal experience. The dedication to Caroline LaVelle suggests a connection or inspiration from this individual, possibly a muse or someone significant in the poet's life.

The first stanza depicts a couple who are deeply connected, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. The simile of them flexing like rubber bands implies their elasticity and adaptability, emphasizing their harmonious bond. The couple exists within a perfect scenery, which symbolizes their idyllic state of being. The poet recognizes the couple's contentment and wonders how they achieved such a state, highlighting his own disconnection from this reality.

In the second stanza, the poet expresses a sense of tragedy and loss. He questions why he has lost touch with this blissful reality and suggests that he has lost his grip and become disconnected. The phrase "thought my way from all of this" implies that overthinking and intellectualizing may have led him astray, distancing him from the simplicity of the couple's connection.

The third stanza raises the question of who can truly understand and narrate one's own story. The poet acknowledges that he may be as equally lost and perplexed as playing chess blindfolded. This metaphor conveys the difficulty of comprehending and navigating the complexities of life.

The poet then interrupts the poem with the line stating that the meaning of life is often lost in the analysis of its structure. This line, with its abruptness and separation, suggests a reflection on the futility of overanalyzing existence rather than experiencing it fully. The poet implies that understanding life's essence transcends analytical dissection.

In the final stanza, the poet clarifies that he did not intentionally lose touch with reality. He feels entranced, perhaps by distractions or external influences that led him astray from the dance of life. The mention of "footsteps" suggests a path or choices that diverted the poet's attention from the profound connection depicted in the opening stanza.

Drawing on the insights of Carl Jung, this poem explores the tension between conscious awareness and the unconscious forces that shape one's experience. The couple in the first stanza represents the harmonious union of conscious and unconscious aspects, symbolizing the integration of the self. The poet, on the other hand, reflects the struggle of the conscious mind trying to comprehend and connect with the unconscious realm.

The poet's loss of touch with reality indicates a disconnection from the depths of the unconscious and the intuitive wisdom it offers. The overemphasis on intellectual analysis, as mentioned in the second stanza, reveals a reliance on the conscious mind alone, leading to a sense of tragedy and longing for reconnection.

Jung's concept of individuation, the process of integrating conscious and unconscious elements of the psyche, resonates with the poet's journey. The reference to the "steps" that led the poet away from the dance suggests a need for self-reflection and exploration of the unconscious influences that have shaped his current state.

Overall, this poem, as analyzed from the perspective of a simple poet, delves into themes of connection, loss, self-discovery, and the delicate balance between conscious and unconscious realms of the human psyche. It invites introspection and contemplation about the meaning of life and the ways in which we may unintentionally lose touch with our deepest realities.

Posted 1 Year Ago

The first stanza depicts a couple who are deeply connected, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. The simile of them flexing like rubber bands implies their elasticity and adaptability, emphasizing their harmonious bond. The couple exists within a perfect scenery, which symbolizes their idyllic state of being. The poet recognizes the couple's contentment and wonders how they achieved such a state, highlighting his own disconnection from this reality.

In the second stanza, the poet expresses a sense of tragedy and loss. He questions why he has lost touch with this blissful reality and suggests that he has lost his grip and become disconnected. The phrase "thought my way from all of this" implies that overthinking and intellectualizing may have led him astray, distancing him from the simplicity of the couple's connection.

The third stanza raises the question of who can truly understand and narrate one's own story. The poet acknowledges that he may be as equally lost and perplexed as playing chess blindfolded. This metaphor conveys the difficulty of comprehending and navigating the complexities of life.

The poet then interrupts the poem with the line stating that the meaning of life is often lost in the analysis of its structure. This line, with its abruptness and separation, suggests a reflection on the futility of overanalyzing existence rather than experiencing it fully. The poet implies that understanding life's essence transcends analytical dissection.

In the final stanza, the poet clarifies that he did not intentionally lose touch with reality. He feels entranced, perhaps by distractions or external influences that led him astray from the dance of life. The mention of "footsteps" suggests a path or choices that diverted the poet's attention from the profound connection depicted in the opening stanza.

Drawing on the insights of Carl Jung, this poem explores the tension between conscious awareness and the unconscious forces that shape one's experience. The couple in the first stanza represents the harmonious union of conscious and unconscious aspects, symbolizing the integration of the self. The poet, on the other hand, reflects the struggle of the conscious mind trying to comprehend and connect with the unconscious realm.

The poet's loss of touch with reality indicates a disconnection from the depths of the unconscious and the intuitive wisdom it offers. The overemphasis on intellectual analysis, as mentioned in the second stanza, reveals a reliance on the conscious mind alone, leading to a sense of tragedy and longing for reconnection.

Jung's concept of individuation, the process of integrating conscious and unconscious elements of the psyche, resonates with the poet's journey. The reference to the "steps" that led the poet away from the dance suggests a need for self-reflection and exploration of the unconscious influences that have shaped his current state.

Overall, this poem, as analyzed from the perspective of a simple poet, delves into themes of connection, loss, self-discovery, and the delicate balance between conscious and unconscious realms of the human psyche. It invites introspection and contemplation about the meaning of life and the ways in which we may unintentionally lose touch with our deepest realities.

Rating /100

light and ashes

I am delighted to be the first person to review this out of all the people that have read it..
and it is all too fitting..maybe too much so..
for more reasons than one.

How incredibly true is the sentiment of this. How amazingly easy it can be to forget about all the sweetness in life.
I've been there........
and I know very well, that you have too..
Most do not know of the sorrows that we have known and tasted..
oh, how incredibly bitter, those can be..
but we know of other things too..
We know beauty and we know faith..
and we know friendship and love..

How incredibly easy it can be to lose faith, in a world as cruel and evil as this one.
I think we are better for having known each-other.