Arc of the Poet, Part 15: Being

Ramble
January 17, 2008: #17
January 18, 2008: #16
February 1, 2009: #10
April 27, 2009: #9
October 3, 2009: #8
May 9, 2010: #7
August 18, 2010: #6
Arc of the Poet, Part 14: Ramblings (#5)
Arc of the Poet, Part 15: Being (#4-#2)

Arc of the Poet
Part 1: Life Poetry
Part 2: Tour de Force
Part 3: True Love
Part 4: Spinning Out
Part 5: Wake-Up Call
Part 6: Serious Dreams
Part 7: Home Stretch
Part 8: Feedback
Part 9: Dear Departures
Part 10: Good Poetry
Part 11: Rewrites
Part 12: Resistance
Part 13: Fame and Fortune
Part 14: Ramblings
Part 15: Being

“Being must be felt. It can’t be thought.” ― Eckhart Tolle

Like you and everyone else of course, when it comes down to essential facts, I have my parents to thank for my existence. Following on through with my countdown ‘Ramble’ project, I end (for now) this shared journey. These words complete a poetic arc for yours truly, and looking ahead, I am aiming to write and produce new works you will find to be flat-out fascinating.

At this point in my life, I have grown to love the act of writing a poem. It’s most sacred to me … and I tend to place so much value in words written during sustained periods of deep concerted thought that often just being is less satisfying than it is to read and write poetry, with an open mind that’s ready, willing, and able to learn, think, and create. My passions for fine art, music, cinema, photography, design, and even architecture relate to my love for writing poems … but they are different, too, since poems rely on word-forms alone, which must speak out from otherwise blank pages. Where a few words can fill a space and fundamentally alter experiences, I am all-in, and extremely interested. To me, that is art at a very exciting level of creation and possibility.

It really makes me feel good to finish Ramble, and to share its final stanzas with you. The project has been counting down to these very seconds for over nine years … beginning with longish entries and following with shorter and shorter ones. As you will see, I am proud to present numbers 6 in homage to our son, 4 dedicated to my Dad, 3 for my Mom, and 2 for my exquisite wife.

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The very last part is the single line that has intrigued me to no end throughout the life of this project. From the very beginning, I have wondered what I would write as the simple last line of my self-focused creative writing project, which by the way, I have written during an amazingly prolific and pivotal span as a bona fide grownup.

Can you understand why I will not be publishing Ramble #1 anywhere? I do have a first draft of it, but I intend to continue rewriting it for the rest of my days. For now, it’s tucked away, awaiting fate and most likely, my further attempts at perfection. For holding it out, I sincerely beg your pardon, and invite you to savor these other short polished gemstones, reflecting — along with the other latest Rambles — what I hold dearest. It has been a real honor to write and share this adventure with you. I like to imagine that you will have learned something worth knowing by taking up these tales with me, so I’ll continue doing so, if you don’t mind. If you do have any feedback to share, please don’t be a stranger.

Ramble
By Roger Darnell
Aug. 18, 2010: #6
Riley has been for six and a half years,
and he is amazing, as it’s widely known.
A great and true friend, little brother,
cousin, grandson, nephew, and son, we are
all cast in his rollicking adventure.
Wishes: Happy days, and smooth sailing.

March 24, 2011: #4
My beloved father has always been my
supercharged intellectual model for myself
as business success, personality, and
family provider. The stuff of legend, JKD.

September 28, 2011: #3
Perfect mother, you are my good fortune.
As you’ve led, I’ve followed to happiness.
Dream on and live in joy one most loved!

September 28, 2011: #2
Beth: For all that you are, I am endlessly
in awe and in love; and I’ll always be.

…