Naturally, I want to act—
naturally.
To act on my feelings,
but not too quickly.
I have to know
what I really feel,
so I’ll know what I want.
And so I’ll act naturally,
without having to stop
and think—
about what I feel
I want.
I want to feel
like I am acting
naturally.
I want to feel
that I know
what I want—
so I won’t have to think
about what I feel
I want.
Or think—
about how to best
act naturally.
People learn these things—
naturally.
These poems are in the fashion of how conversation can get tied up into knots and it can be hard to know what to say or how to respond or to think. Thinking is influenced by our thoughts and so what we think is made up of words that can be made up of tangled conversational knots from which we try to make sense of reality. Sometimes no matter what you say, one person or both persons in a two person dialog will lose. R. D. Laing wrote a collection of poems called Knots and as a writer I am loath to immitate or create anything that is not uniquely inspired by myself alone.
Bruce Whealton is republishing a collection of poems after the death of his friend Thomas Childs, who wrote the introduction. The introduction reflects on their shared passion for poetry and the trials they have faced. The poems in the collection touch on themes of love, loss, and personal struggles. Thomas praises Bruce for channeling his pain into his poetry. The collection is a tribute to their friendship and the impact of Bruce's writing.
I treasure these words from Thomas: