At The Threshold Poem by Glen Kappy
At The Threshold
from 'Dreams and Visions'
The world
is not some dreamland anymore.
Its glitter
like the bulbs of a marquee.
Its glamor
like the skin of a balloon.
Its pleasures
when I try to hold them
burst to nothing
on its hard, its sharp, its real.
This intricate poem can be made out from there -dimensional plane. Honestly speaking, one needs to dive deep into the soul of the poem to divulge different facets of it. I love this kind of poetry.
The reality of the skin of the balloon is that when it goes too high, beyond the limits for which it, by the laws of nature, is bound, it must in utter destruction reach the end of itself. The hard, sharp points of life one learns from experience, both tough and gentle. Living is often a beautiful paradox, that seems to be pointing, or leading, toward something beyond its own meager ends.
smoky, thank you for looking this poem up and for your comment—articulate and understanding. here's to more open doors, more life to explore, glen
I am very involved with the concept mot THRESHOLDS. A threshold is neither here nor there but it is a passage to either one, or you can say a threshold provides either an entrance or exit according to your needs. In this poem we seem to be poised on the threshold but haven't yet crossed it: we're poised in a realization that has stalled us: The World beckons us but we now know it is not the place of substance and wholeness it pretends to be. Are we ready to confront its empty promises? Will we succumb to its illusions? What kind of mind-set must we adopt? What kind of courage do we summon? Those are the questions which make me indecisive. How about you? - Ready to plunge ahead?
daniel, i'm glad you found this poem as well. it would take someone with your understanding of the symbolism to get it. and once again, you're the first one in ph to comment on it. thank you. while filling in at an alternative high school for a teacher's year-long leave, one of my colleagues taught in her classroom and introduced me to the hero journey which, i'm sure you know, has crossing the threshold as one of its stages. in this poem i sought to describe how in my early twenties i had already done the things i had so longed for in earlier adolescence and was far from content. i had sought but not found- not yet, had spent a good part of two years hitch-hiking in the west, and cared little if i lived or died. it strikes me as i write, that this poem, like many of mine, deals with something impending, in this case a stage in my life where something was about to/had to happen. with gratitude for my current fogey life (a poem of mine on this is aging as ascent) , glen
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/19/2024 6:03:52 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Furthermore, the poet's perception of glamour is commendable. Liked the skin of the baloon concept.
Dillip, thank you for reading and commenting on this poem. It tries to reflect my state of heart and mind as I was on the threshold, the brink, of God meeting me in response to my desperate prayer. -Glen