Engaging with the Kafkaesquesque OR The Landscape of Nightmare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today's poem has been slightly revised (from 2017) for inclusion in the new collection of poems that I am struggling to put together as my personal circumstances - along with everyone else's - approach Kafkaesque proportions from time to time; although restriction on mobility and retail are starting to lift as the Covid-19 coronavirus appears to be lessening its impact, it is still there, still a threat, and many of us are concerned we may be coming out of lock-down too soon, especially as we look at what is happening around the world, including countries that appear to have been hit by a second wave after coming out of lock-down. Oh, well, fingers crossed ... and let's all be careful out there.

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Meanwhile…

I had not been long out of hospital when I wrote the poem a few years ago and on a high dose of antibiotics to keep nasties like sepsis at bay. I'd had a bad night and woke up suspecting I would have a bad day so decided to try and write my way out of what was not a promising start. Well, it worked, for me at any rate, and (who knows?) it may work for you, too. Indeed, the power of positive thinking never fails to amaze me. (Believe me, I needed plenty of it in hospital... )

If dealing with illness - or any dark forces - is a challenge for the human body, it is no less of one for mind and spirit; indeed, I am not sure the three can be separated, and regular readers will have noticed that often refer to mind-body-spirit as one life force in the blogs; add the combined power of love and positive thinking, and it should come as no surprise that many if not most human beings are up for whatever challenges we face, whether they image the landscape of horror, danger, whatever ...

ENGAGING WITH THE KAFKAESQUE or THE LANDSCAPE OF NIGHTMARE

Dark, my world,

animated shapes conveying

little or nothing

to ease a so-restless mind,

unquiet spirit

No cheery sounds

of laughter over corny jokes

or cheery singing

out of tune at the washing-up

after dinner for two

Nothing and no one

to home in on for comfort;

shoulders to lean on

but shades of wishful thinking

on scrap paper

Kafkaesque, dragging

on senses that, oh, but faintly

offer resistance,

yet creating just space enough

for breaking dawn

Light, proving a match

for its nemesis, now a gathering

of sun nymphs

inspiring wings of a skylark

to force an entry

Song, waking the heart

to possibilities and potential

enough for mind, body,

and spirit to be curious, wake up

to the challenges

Copyright R. N. Taber 2020

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in CCandD poetry magazine v291, Scars (US) 2019]