Epiphany Poem by Harley White
Epiphany
Once upon a time I dreamed
I dreamed there was a once upon a time
I dreamed with the mind that dreams
I dreamed in the darkness of dreams
I dreamed the delusion of dreams
I dreamed I was asleep and dreaming
I dreamed a dream in the depths of a dream
Once upon a time I dreamed
I dreamed a dream within a dream
I dreamed a dream dreaming a dream
I dreamed and was lost in a dream
I dreamed a dream in a dream
of the sorrows of birth and death
I dreamed a breath outgoing
had no dream of an incoming breath
Throughout my giddy-paced time
I strutted my reason and rhyme
like a phantom floating
whisked away in a wink
from the lapis lazuli home
where life is fleeting and fragile
more flimsy
than bubbles of foam
Once upon a time I dreamed
of present mirth and present laughter
a dream of birth with no hereafter
I dreamed a dream
with the wind and the rain with hey and ho
I dreamed a dream
that that is, is - the world begun
I dreamed a dream
but that's all done a great while ago
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Say it again above the din the pomp and show
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
The worldwide seekers of peace
with their bland brands
of human-ism delirium
catastrophically
underestimate
the darkness of dreams
the darkness of delusion
which manifests
in greed maddened rampaging rage
ignorance and hate
the fundamental darkness innate
as is the reality
of original enlightenment
inherent in the dreamers
who are asleep and dreaming
the dream within the dream
Once upon a time I dreamed
I dreamed I was dreaming a dream
I dreamed I had been dreaming
I dreamed of dreaming a dream
I dreamed a dreamy dream
I dreamed a dreamer's dream
I dreamed of a ceaseless self
within the self
within the self
I dreamed of my self
I dreamed I would awaken
awaken from the dream of death and birth
I dreamed I would be born and die
on an endless inner enlightened earth
Once upon a time I dreamed
I dreamed a dream of inspiration
I dreamed a dreamer's aspiration
I dreamed I would not speak
the babbling gossip of the air
I dreamed I would not write
wild words and ornate phrases
I dreamed I would borrow
the language used in dreams
I dreamed I would entice
the dreaming people to awaken
I dreamed the dreaming people
would awaken from the dream
So on and on I go
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
The poem can be seen with its intended shape at the [Poems etc.] link on my website at... [harleywhite.awardspace.com] and on my page 'Poetry with a Buddhist Theme ~ by Harley White' at the main site [dharmagateway.org] which also contains excellent explanations of Buddhism at that site...
Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u])the Utterness of the Dharma (Myōhō)[entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge)in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō) .
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Painting ~ Albert Joseph Moore ~ 'Dreamers' ~ 1882
A free flight of creativity on winged imagination. Really an interesting story nicely crafted with clarity of thought and mind. A beautiful creation.
A lovely concoction of imagination, creativity and rhythm. It also has an equally engrossing narrative. This poem has introduced me to a completely new genre of writing poems. Your compositions have so much to teach new poets like me!
I'm very pleased that you read and enjoyed the poem and took the time and trouble to make some remarks about it. If it also inspired your own creativity, so much the better. Thank you for letting me know!
This poem is amazing! ! ! ! I love it so much that at my school then we have a fine arts festival every year and everyone has to memorize a poem and so I picked this one because its just so inspirational and calming to a little 6th grader like me! ! ! ! Thank you so much Ms White! ! ! ! ! This poem really inspired me to write stories! ! ! ! ! !
Olivia, you have quite overwhelmed me with your enthusiasm and complimentary comment! This must have been a very long poem for you to memorize and I’m impressed with your efforts! I am so glad that my poem inspired you, and your appreciation has truly inspired me as well! What else could a poet hope for than to touch another heart so deeply! Thank you very much for sharing your reaction with me!
I don't know allot about Buddhism, but I like what I am reading in your poetry and in looking up your inspiration. I looked at your website and it is much easier to follow your poem in its proper format. This is a prime example of a poem that is strengthened by the use of form. I see that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a meditational chant that helps lead the pracitioner to epiphany? I love the line, I dreamed I would not speak the babbling gossip of the air. I love the use of words in this poem, they seem so carefully selected and meaningful, but also at the same time, they lend to the chanting form of the reading. The repetition, in a strange way, seems to help the mind to focus and cancel out the background 'noise.' Thoroughly enjoyable read. Well written and throughtful. Thanks for sharing.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/28/2024 12:26:28 PM # 1.0.0.1119
amazing amazing amazing poem.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!