LOSING SHOT (photomorph) & THE TENSION OF THE OPPOSITES (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

THE TENSION OF THE OPPOSITES

the foundation's about
a tension of opposites
or so Jung would have us
believe and I, for one, do;
even in the (deceptively)
simple form of poetry
called a haiku that's most
famous I suppose for it's
school of Zen, comparison
(just another word for
tension) or contrast (ditto)
is required to (1) hold it
all together and (2) to keep it
evolving beyond it's borders;
and so I sit here, determined
to write a haiku about
the too familiar moment
of my pain; why not
instead try to squeeze
the universe into
a ping pong ball,
I think wryly,
even as I go on
with the game


[non-dream free verse poem written 1-18-18. Article on Jungian concept of the tension of the opposites. (Don't miss the Mary Oliver poem, "Journey," in a video link at the end of this article.) I should add that I've seen many different articles on perspectives from which this Jungian concept is interpreted. This article comes fairly close to how I've been growing to understand it. And I hasten to add that I make no claim to fully understanding what Jung intended, only that whenever I read about the concept it stirs me profoundly. My poem can be read as a failed attempt to find a symbol to transcend the tension of the opposites. (BTW, I did not consciously seek a transcendent symbol when starting or even as I wrote and edited this poem. I was only reminded of the idea of a transcendent symbol after the poem was completed when I read various articles, looking for a link to include in these comments.) Photomorph "Losing Shot" (2988v4g) by Roswila]

PLEASE NOTE: in most browsers you can click on the above image for a larger version. Also, the photo accompanying a post is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse, similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku).

There are many other sorts of posts on this blog. I indicate which are about or influenced by dreams. Some non dream focused posts are book reviews, "regular" poems (some by other writers), scifaiku, writing exercises, Tarot haiku, photos, haiga, and so on. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006, at the end of the sidebar.

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until next time, keep dreaming,

[a/k/a Patricia Kelly]
**** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”). Roswila's other blog (dedicated to her photos only, i.e. no poetry or other writing; daily post); TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.