Transcendence
Up next in lit class was the unit
on Transcendentalism.
Between that topic and the teens,
there yawned a wide, deep schism.
I struggle with the theme myself.
Quite rigorously I'd prepared
by grasping points I knew must be
included; those, in class I shared.
They questioned “divine oversoul”
but warmed to the concept
of a force uniting all mankind,
though self-reliance for each is kept.
Believers of these concepts hold
that nature’s where we realize
the divine knowledge in us all--
that we are all inherently wise.
They readily accepted that
this wisdom comes through intuition,
not formal schooling—taking a poke
at the curriculum’s condition!
Some said, “SO true. It’s not at school
where we’re taught to be wise.”
“You’re right, for wisdom can’t be TAUGHT,”
I said. They eyed me with surprise!
When I said Transcendentalists
are optimists with strong convictions
that they’ll find what they seek, kids smiled.
There were no contradictions!
They read that Thoreau and Emerson
declared that the Establishment
was ruining man’s natural purity.
Then, on to Thoreau’s hut we went.
He said, “Our life is frittered away
by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
Though amazed by his resourcefulness,
kids said, “He let life pass him by!”
“You really think so?” I pressed on.
“He said just that about the way
of life back then. I feel quite sure
he'd say the same of us today.”
He held that frantic busyness
crowds out the opportunity
for intuition to visit us,
for love of nature to bloom free.
This study was quite challenging.
Next, our attention we would steer
toward something lighter, not so deep,
some limericks by Edward Lear.
January 21, 2022
entered in the This or That vol 9 Poetry Contest--Transcendence
Sponsor: Edward Ibeh
Copyright © Janice Canerdy | Year Posted 2022
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