Photo: pixabay.com
“I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be, but most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.” Douglas Pagels
Release From Prism
By what prism am I,
that uneven self of self,
a composite of conventional norms,
or the spaces of my daily habits,
layers of false true selves
a rare glimpse of the who
I am and am not,
never really defined, though
partially admitted nine to five,
but ever incomplete,
arriving at myself time and again,
to change would be to risk the
imperfection of the who
I am becoming.
©Paul Vincent Cannon
Paul, pvcann.com
parallax 
Deep, Paul, and my brain has not yet consumed the prerequisite caffeine to comment.
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It’s almost midnight here, so I’ll steer clear of the caffeine till morn, when I will crave it 🙂 thank you for reading VJ, enjoy your coffee, have a delightful day.
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You too Paul – when it comes back around
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Thank you, don’t send it too soon zzzz
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🙂
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🙂
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Lovely words and I like the photo. It would be something to have the talent of a sculptor.
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Yes, I have a similar reaction to that photo, thank you Cheryl.
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Thank you for very deep thoughts again, Paul! I have to re-think too, but in one i am sure. We will have a lot of time for selffinding.
Btw: Was Prism not the name of the us-survaillance project? 😉
Best wishes for the weekend, enjoy the silence. Michael
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It is the season for me, a benefit of the changes is a forced sequester of reflection 🙂 Thank you Michael.
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I particularly like the ending three lines. The thought seems paradoxical.
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Beautiful title and the poem grows upon each read.
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Thank you so much.
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Love the poem and the quote
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Thank you 🙂
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You’re welcome
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I love your opening quote by Douglas Pagels. He’s a sharp cookie if this quote is any indication. I’ve seen intricate rationalizations before, but I think yours in this poem tops them all. “Be who you is and not who you ain’t, because if you ain’t who you is, you is who you ain’t.”
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In a nut shell Lisa, Yes indeed. Thank you for engaging with this, and for highlighting the core of it so clearly.
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You are very welcome, Paul.
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Will we ever unravel our real self! Profound thoughts, Paul.
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I used to laugh at friend who said he was still finding himself, but later I Learned he was so right. Thank you for your thoughts on this Punam, yes ever unravelling as I see it.
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We assume we know ourselves and try to unravel others. If only we try to find ourselves! Always a pleasure, Paul.
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Yes, we do assume. 🙂
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This poem really speaks to me, Paul. I’ve nearly commented on a few others. Those comments would have gone something like “Yes, but …”
I know you don’t mind a chat, debate or thinking aloud. For me, some of your recent poems have been a light to show the {right?) way. The moral choice. They’re good. If I could lead my life that way I would. But, the rightness is not challenged. Choices are not always clear cut. I like this one because of the uncertainty. Choices are not always simple. At different stages of our lives, we might make a different decision faced with the same circumstances. So I like this poem in particular.
Does that make sense? Or is that the point of your poem?
PS. My mother called me a hypocrite. She has a point.
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Actually, the word hypocrite is redundant as I see it, we all are from time to time, I certainly have been guilty. But I do think there are clearly times when it is publicly damaging when leaders are hypocritical. I’m happy to sit with your observation of the recent poetry, I would say that I have been reflecting on the moral morass of politics and religion, and I was feeling aspirational about potential change (though not positive about mass change, more individual). Choices are never clear cut, when you think they are they’re deceptive in my view. Yes, it does make sense, we could go either of any series of directions, once we decide we go, at least till we decide not to. I’m more at home with paradox than concrete posturing for sure. I have tremendous difficulty with the word moral, simply because it’s a viewpoint most of the time, and driven by religious or narrow philosophical thinking – and look where that has gone in the last twenty years- gah! I think morals are a difficult issue because they are coercive and often abusive (just getting to Gay rights is but one example) I look more for ethics, and in my case compassionate and loving action would be the maxim. Tracy I do enjoy a chat, what gave that away – lol 🙂
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I have a problem with the word moral too, Paul. Also, aspirational. Lol. Life has become so complicated. Thank you for the brain food and the chat.
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Well I just think morals are so subjective in personalised ways we just think we’re on the same page as a community, but ethics is an agreed conduct – harder to get to really, telling the truth for example 🙂
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Yep. I once wanted to design a research project or do a course of study around business ethics. That was about 20 years ago. There were no courses at the time that fit that description and then I got distracted on other things.
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Wow, prescient, look at what happened in business, now in politics, no ethics at all.
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The question I wanted to explore was whether acting legally, the same as acting ethically. And how this applied in the business context. Also, there is much ado about being a good corporate citizen, but … I think I was working on a competition policy issue at the time. In business, it did seem to go from bad to worse, but was that a failure of business and lack of ethics or was it a failure of political leadership and government policy.
Ministerial accountability died in the Howard years in my opinion. Now the head guy gets all the kudos except when some poor minister gets thrown under the bus.
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There seems to be a number of busses about 🙂 I like your question very much. Yes it died in the Howard years, though W.A. INc. showed how it was chicken and egg in one way – business seducing govt seducing business – conning the people. Arrgh! Mind you, there’s a couple of current ministers who need to find a bus 🙂
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Yes, nothing new, except the scale.
Demand is outstripping supply of the imported buses.
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Yes, same here.
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A deep and sophisticated concept – and great title.
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Thank you for sharing, it came from a deep place, and it’s wonderful when others pick up on that.
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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🙂
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“I am and am not, never really defined, though…”, pretty deep.
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It sure came from a deep reflection
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I love this one said so well
>
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I couldn’t get the hook line out of my head.
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