beyond the wall
Language is a wall, and dialogue is the writing upon its seemingly impenetrable surface. But is it truly impenetrable, or is there a way through? Poetry feels like a scratch on that wall, and with enough scratches, a deep scar might form. Dozens of scars could create a hole, and several holes could break through the wall of language to reveal something beyond. But what exactly is it that lies beyond?
This quest for measurable, beyond-wall exactness is perhaps why most poetry remains mere writing on the wall, rather than penetrating scratches. To scratch it properly, a poet must feel both the wall and what lies beyond it, without the fear of feeling nothing. Experiencing what’s behind that wall directly should be the ultimate goal of poetry. Belief in the possibility of a wall-less reality must be absolute, the default psychological stance of every aspiring poet.
Most sensitive poets don’t file their nails against the wall in hopes of leaving their names for other poets to see. They are not afraid of what lies beyond that wall. Instead, they possess the ability to pass through it like cosmic rays, transforming themselves rather than fretting over the wall’s thickness. They find ways to dissolve the wall with pure emotions, feelings that may transcend conventional understanding.
Only a tiny fraction of those who can do this successfully manage to step, jump, fly, or vibrate through and past that wall, staying there long enough to reshape their own rigidity into a more flexible essence. They do this without concern for the supportive structure the wall provides, with all its endless inscriptions.
I imagine a few poets have stayed there permanently, and we might mistakenly think they were lost causes for not being able to tell us what lies beyond the wall of language. But how can they communicate if there are no more walls to write on? It might be so wonderful beyond that wall that even the greatest comforts the walls can offer pale in comparison to the absolute glory beyond even the most beautiful concept of language.
The liberated poets pity us as we continue to judge them while facing the rigidity of our individual walls. They want us to join them, but we are deaf to their subtle messages. One of them somehow manages to communicate more linguistically from the other side:
Can poetry stop poetry and set you free?
not only poetry can undo language!
not only poetry can halt thoughts
feelings can do that even better
be quiet and just feel things
feel things uninterrupted
don’t over-think this
be the feeling
just feel
feel it
now
….
…
..
.
