Beijing 1989: Creating Is Eternal, Act As If It Is

We have all lost our knowing 
and the comfort of our stability.

The entire humanity of the city 
has lost so much,

changed so much, 
that we are confused 
about who we now are.

What is left of our original selves 
is only a piece of who we once were.

We are not comfortable with, 
or accustomed to, 
this newly uncovered self -

exposed when all that was familiar was shed.

The unknown part of ourselves, 
embedded in our vulnerable under belly, 
has been revealed.

We, humans, 
who pride ourselves in technological evolution,

have not experienced for some time 
an accelerated human evolution -

growth brought on by catalytic events, 
various forms of modern expansion, 
from ancient contracted states of being.

The parts of ourselves, 
that we are not yet comfortable with, 
are our new reluctant-identities,
that which has been forced out, 
drawn out -
secreted from our hidden whole.

I remind myself I have not lost a thing. 
I remind myself of what I have gained.

I have always longed to get to know 
all my shadows 
that have yet to see 
the light of day.

I assume 
a degree 
of rational consciousness 
among people,

but how can I 
when we are each in our own realities.

We all dream, 
our own separate sleeping, 
and waking dreams.

Some of us are plugged in
to group agreements, 
like a TV set into a wall socket.
Some of us are charged by 
family agreements, 
programable like a mobile phone 
nestled resting each night 
as energy is restored and batteries recharged.

Some of us are just merely plugged in
to corporate, political or military agreements. 
Belief systems are abundant -
they cover and blanket us, 
like blades of grass blanket the earth, 
and stars blanket the heavens.

I salute our dreams of daylight,
and urge people to sleep with a nightlight,

to keep from waking up not knowing 
where or who they are.

Whose head is my dream taking place in?
Have I over-invested in beliefs, 
to the point where I am over-insured -
I am so well covered, 
that I cannot even recognize my own reflection.
To live a safe life is noble, 
yet, we can lose our selves so thoroughly -
so thoroughly to the lost. 

Under the cover of darkness, 
we artists, 
societies of creators - 
the society's creators ...
from birth 
pray to ward off dying, 
and during life 
bring rebirth 
to what is dead.

We breath new life 
into the old 
through our creations.
We breath reincarnation 
and resurrection 
into our life
through our recreations. 
We revive what has expired.
Artists are the habitat for humanity.

We rehabilitate ourselves, 
self criticize, 
and rehabituate ourselves into society.
But comfort contracts, 
within confined spaces of normalcy -
so we recreate ourselves, 
by expanding through awareness. 
We deepen our insight 
of that which drives life force 
to have no boundaries -
until we now know for sure,
that beyond a doubt,
life knows no limits. 

We create our legacy, 
as if we are eternal, 
and act as if we are.
We invent our legacy, 
by believing creating is eternal, 
and act as if it is.


~~ Other People's Fingerprints ~~
The Lord Mayor of London said in 1665, the year of the plague;
 “That there be a special care to appoint women searchers in every parish,
such as are of honest reputation,
and of the best sort as can be got in this kind;
and these to be sworn to make due search
and true report to the utmost of their knowledge
whether the persons whose bodies they are appointed to search do die
of the infection, or of what other diseases, as near as they can.”

"Mindless Monk"  Beijing, China 1989  by Karin Lisa Atkinson