Originally published on this site Jun 23, 2009
I read a recent quote from the recently late Harold Pinter – which I learned only Christmas Day when reading the paper, so please don’t presume some high-falootin’ cultural literacy – and it now holds my Facebook status. It goes as such: “Below the word spoken is the thing known and unspoken…” and has resonated and remained with me from when I first read it.
And I believe that quote fits with me because – to whatever extent the little trumpeter inside me finds itself intent to assert my matterization, and as much as I’m able to ignore the cynic that insists on these little interludes to my thoughts – it has allowed me to see that within the passing moments of my life,
as they pass,
as they have passed,
and as they may come to pass
persist in that dualist (naturally) sense………
the difference between the thing that is known
and the thing(s) declared safe enough to be mutually acknowledged
Ooops, I misspeak – the GROWING difference between them.
We all witness, in our own manner, the way that live interactions
face to face, person to person,
erode
we we all each know grows and grows
but it is known and unspoken
and one component of ALL that
is…
[The real message is that I could stop right there.]
…we know that we know we feel we must do something
and must talk it out
amidst, amongst, face to face (I don’t hyphenate to make it more literal)
Where are our 21st century sparks?
And could it even make a difference?
There is such a thing as too much kindling
‘Twould smother every spark
And we know there are no sparks coming
And that;s a VERY scary thought
that we all each face and find
in some solitary moment
when you figure out SOME
goddam fucking way
to make waking up the next day a thing to look forward to
because you find yourself
[in your own perception – let’s be fair]
that there are many obstacles
that face you in your life
and you feel you are alone and no one is in your corner
We are ALL each there at some point
And man, oh man, wouldn’t it be great
if we could at least TALK to people about this
and the big joke we’re all undertaking
for it IS the thing known and unspoken
and it is happening
bit by bit, tiny moment upon tiny moment
degrading, denying, ignoring
for our own convenient sake
and we watch ourselves
and as we pursue our wants
and knowing, feeling there is a way
things could be diferent
and among so many moments in my life
the people I meet
and the things I see and hear about
and the conversations I have
and my belief that there are a vast sea of things that we each all know
so we all each see it happening too
and we don’t know what to do
that things need to be different vastly different
and we all each have our sense of what that means
but could never consider changing that drastically
for there is so many people it becomes a pointless sacrifice
and this sits in every passing moment that I have
it is MY thing known and unspoken
and I believe it is a thing we all each know and cannot speak of
for starting the conversation confronts so many
fears and denials of those who would hear
that it makes the effort pointless
At its freakin’ gosh-darned simplest, it’s like this:
You’re always going to do what you want to do
as a person
and
that which happens happens because of
the choice you made to do what you want
then
if you want different things to happen
all you have to do
is change what you want.
No one will ever convince you to do that except yourself
but it might be easier if there were a lot of people around you
saying with you, for you
that they are there too
and that you all know you want to talk this out
and find something different
There are those that can help
There are those that would be employed
there are those willing to dare bring the conversation forward
if you want it enough
and the spark will never know
and that’s where they lay the bet
where they take the risk
and they must sacrifice
so, enough of that….
best to keep it murkishly poetic
and one step short of follow through
damn, the cynic got the closer.
Thanks for listening,
Philip
One Perspective 