Balanced On the Edge

Question Follow Up

In Tuesday’s post I began a line of inquiry based on the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. Here’s the question I gave to start the discussion, which is followed by the questions others posted in the comments section. The questions in italics are ones that occurred to me as I read through them again, one by one.

Thanks to everyone who participated. If you try something like this on your own blog, let me know. I’ll be there in the front row, raising my hand wildly.

What’s the missing puzzle piece?

What is the knot in my chest?
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paisley

Must not one first have viewed the puzzle, complete, as it is devoid of that one piece before they can even tell whether or not such a piece is missing?

When will I be complete?
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baskar

If so, can it be that there is no single ‘missing’ piece of the puzzle, but the puzzle organises itself through association?

Are humans much different than ants?
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christine

How do I know when something is complete?

How can you laugh at yourself more?
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jo

Is something incomplete more interesting?

What is interesting to me?
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dale

Is the puzzle missing the piece, or are we missing the puzzle? Or if it really is the piece that’s missing, is it missing the puzzle or is it missing us?

If I forget about the puzzle will the pieces disappear?
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Dave

If a poet goes missing on a volcanic island, will his poems be reduced to pieces of a puzzle?

Will I ever meet the poet who went missing near the volcano, or will I know him through his poems?
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ybonesy

Do we have to know what all the pieces are?

Will the pieces reveal themselves to me when I die?
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deb

Do missing puzzle pieces have genetic markers we can follow or can they disguise themselves entirely?

Is the sore place in my heartspace encoded in my DNA?
*
Julie

Why can’t I put the pieces back together in a different way, so there is no missing piece?

Is it my life’s work to become whole?
*
Michelle

Isn’t the missing piece an integral part of the puzzle’s history?

Will the mystery ever be solved?

May 8, 2009
News about poet Michelle McGrane

For those of you not yet acquainted with the talented and lovely poet Michelle McGrane, there’s an interview with her on the blog 100 Readers, by Fiona Robyn.

Fiona’s new novel, The Blue Handbag, is due to be released in August of this year. On her blog she’s interviewing those who have read advanced copies of the book, which will be available on Amazon.

Many of you know that Pindrop Press has the honor of publishing Michelle’s next collection. Her book, The Suitable Girl, and will be Pindrop’s inaugural title. Michelle is also the featured poet in the second issue of ouroboros review, and has three poems included in our upcoming issue.

Michelle McGrane’s poems are a blend of sensuality, imagination,myth, and gritty reality. Spellbinding is an adjective that comes to my mind. She is more than an avid reader, and it shows in her poems, which are eclectic and reflect her wide-ranging interests. Michelle is a perfect example of someone who has read 100 books before she writes her own, and I respect her for it. It shows in her poems.

May 7, 2009

Fiona Robyn, Michelle McGrance, ouroboros review, peony moon, Pindrop Press, The Blue Hand Bag, The Suitable Girl
What's up?
Dave Bonta’s question poem, Questions about birds, reminded me of a conversation I once had with a young man, let’s call him Narayan, who was a student of J. Krishnamurti. Narayan suggested we try a discussion technique he had learned from Krishnamurti that involved only asking questions. Here are his guidelines:
- The first person to speak asks a question, which is followed with contemplative silence. Really think about the question, let it sink in.
- Respond with a question of your own that comes to your mind after mindfully considering the question.
- The next person follows the same pattern, considering the second question, and so on.
I’d like to try an experiment on this blog that follows Narayan’s line of inquiry. All you need to do is read my question here, or, if someone has responded with a question, reply to that one with a question of your own in the comments section. After a few days I’ll post all the questions in one post. Feel free to grab one and start a new line of inquiry on your own blog.

I’d like to add one more caveat: try not to ask a loaded question, or a rhetorical one. Keep your mind open and curious.

Question: What’s the missing puzzle piece?
May 5, 2009

discussion techniques, inquiry, krishnamurti, questions
Some things I learned this April
Wow. I’m feeling a bit of heaviness settle in after the push to write thirty poems in thirty days. Hats off to anyone else who did it. Hooray! I’m cheering because it’s over, and because we accomplished our goal. Thanks to the all the crazy poetry ladies who handed out prompts with me at Read Write Poem. Phew.

But what came out of these so called poems I wrote? I started scrolling through them, seeing if I liked any of them enough to work on them and send them off into the world, but to be honest, they all read to me like a jumbled blur. I need some time to sit back and reflect, distance myself.

In the meantime, here’s my napowrimo post mortem:
1. I don’t like writing to other people’s prompts unless it suits me. This month I obliged myself to address each of the PAD prompts, and it was hard. It was like school. Homework, albeit fun homework.
2. When I try to write a poem every day I lose my sense of the normal flow of time, or clock time. Where did April go? I’m still in myth land.
3. I missed writing to my inner sense of what is important to me now, although I did manage to squeeze in a few of those ‘close to the soul’ poems.
4. From now on I won’t be posting many brand new poems. It’s like going to the supermarket in my pajamas, I feel so exposed.
5. There are several short stories gathering dust on my desktop. I’m going to work on them for a few days until those crazy poems stop vibrating in my head.
May 1, 2009

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