Tuesday, September 23, 2014

To Infinity--& Beyond



"We are Infinite"--image by Brooke Shaden


To Infinity--& Beyond

“If you look, might you discover that our entire universe is
but a part of one atom on a blade of grass?”--Stephen King.

Most of us
have seen the lemniscate symbol,
                  created in the 17th Century,
the number 8 lying            on its side
                  representing infinity.

As curious simians, we are cursed 
                                      or blessed
with countless questions, literally driven
to find answers that do not
           generate closure or actual knowledge.
                    
                   If it is fact 
that our spiritual essence is eternal, then
                   how does infinity weigh into
                   the cosmological metaphysical equation?

Jesus, all the brainy mathematician types
create complex formulas
                   utilizing two basic types of infinite numbers;
                   those that are countless & innumerable, &
                   those that are truly endless & limitless.

I favor the notion
that curves,
fractal of otherwise, compose
                  all the universes & dimensions
we stand square in the middle of, 
                  or on the fragmented edge of--
                           that the flat topology enthusiasts,
like the flat-earth believers of the past, are just not
imaginative enough, that
our Universe, perhaps
                       but a microscopic blemish
                                             on the buttocks of infinite
                                             universes,
is curved,
like the earth--that a thought,
                              a laser beam of light,
                              an astral projection traveling
on a straight line journey will
ultimately return
to its original starting point,
eating its own tail, becoming
           part of the great wheel,
perpetually in motion.

I mean, if the universe(s)
& our little lives
are comprised of infinite possibilities--
then should we waste time
trying to grasp the nature of it,          or just keep on moving
                                         until our feet turn to clay,
our cortex is rendered down to a gleaming cubicle of salt,
our fragile armor of flesh rots
                                         and returns to the earth mother,
                 or turns to gray ash on a pyre?

The young woman in the blue dress
has her own perspective on all this as she suddenly
                 can see through solid stone walls,
                 can see flights of angels, 
& intricate patterns of every hue of light,
                 conquering fear, glimpsing a portion of understanding
as to her peculiar placement within her particular lifetime;
and like a princess pig well trained
                to sniff out heavenly truffles, she is
                            certain that Truth lurks just below the surface,
even though she is prevented from unearthing it--

& she is now equally certain that it is philosophical madness
to entertain the notion
                that a million monkeys banging
                on a million typewriters eventually
would reproduce the Holy Bible, the Koran,
                         or the complete works of Shakespeare,
for she is witness to a billion monkeys banging on
                                 a billion keyboards, & whatever
is emerging
is only part
of an infinite process. 
                             
                  
Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets Poetics

Would you like to hear the author read this poem to you?

21 comments:

brudberg said...

Infinity is such a great subject for poetry.. and excursions into philosophy.. they are like aspects of everything.. and even more interesting that they are just another aspect of nothingness.. both difficult to really grasp.. as for the monkeys I start to think about the Library of Babel by Borges.. Great journey today Glenn

Claudia said...

oh i think it's important to not lose eternity out of sight - to reach beyond the visible and find those windows into infinity

Mary said...

Wow, Glenn, I don't know where to start with your poem. I really like the idea that if our lives have infinite possibilities then why should we try to grasp the nature of it. I like how you then took the viewpoint of the woman in the blue dress & looked at the world through her eyes. I don't think a million monkeys banging would produce anything intelligent, but then again if there are infinite possibilities I might be wrong! Smiles.

ayala said...

Infinity...a great journey !

Grace said...

I specially like the part of being comprised of infinite possibilities, then we shouldn't waste time trying to grasp the nature of it, keep moving until we turn to ash ~ My mind boggles on the a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters ~ Thanks for linking up Glenn ~

Gabriella said...

I enjoyed your exploration of infinity, Glenn and had not thought of that little number 8 lying on its side since high school maths.
'then should we waste time / trying to grasp the nature of it' - probably not! I believe that whoever gave us life, gave it for us to enjoy it without making others suffer in the meantime.

Delaina said...

I really enjoyed reading this.
I love the lines
"The young woman in the blue dress
has her own perspective on all this as she suddenly
can see through solid stone walls,"

Brilliant!

Bodhirose said...

Infinity...the journey with no end. There it is in a nutshell. I think I've given up pondering, meditating, ruminating and wondering...what's the point? I love where you took us in your poem, Glenn...wherever that may be.

Margaret said...

I won't even begin copying & pasting your words back here, but just loved this. A million monkeys indeed! ha - Infinity makes us loose track of right now - that's all I know. What a wonderful wandering mind you have!

Vandana Sharma said...

Very nice and scientific touch to it/

Anonymous said...

Quite educational! I particularly like 'she suddenly / can see through solid stone walls, / can see flights of angels...'

Brian Miller said...

we can spend so much time trying to understand a moment....or capture a moment....that we will miss the moment....in the end its not our questions or answers, but the way we lived that i think will matter...

Anonymous said...

This poem is looped from the vantage of that woman's view ... Infinity is a Rubik's Cube for the mind, the doodled labyrinth where we strain to find the beginning and end. Great winding thought here. Personally, I'm all for the notion that the Infinite has curved buttocks.

Truedessa said...

Wow, I cannot believe we chose the same pic and both had similar thoughts soaring the skies of infinity endless possibility. She blends with the colors of the sky that blue dress and black hair a child of the universe is what I was thinking. From here to the great beyond.

vb holmes said...

Such a thought provoking piece, Glenn. In order to be infinite, space must be self-perpetuating which gives rise to some interesting possibilities--especially when you consider that we ordinary folk think in terms of straight and curved lines without knowing what else may be out there. That said, imagine the possible future of a single thought that pierces the perceived perimeter of our universe. Instead of returning "to its original starting point, eating its own tail", it might grow a new head and fall victim to new rules and interpretations with "earth-shattering" results.

Anonymous said...

There are so many questions and unfathomable mysteries that I have to hope there is more to life after death. At least that we will be able to search and enjoy every awesome speck of the universe.. maybe with an angel at our side as a tourist guide.

Unknown said...

first of all, the title, "To Infinity--& Beyond" = a big part of my childhood (I loved the movie, "Toy Story.")

yes, many questions in life purely breed more questions... I guess that's why they say, "Question everything!" it's a never-ending cycle. An infinity.

Kathy Reed said...

Particularly loved this, as was in a discussion about this just the other night...my brother and I both feel the energy constantly changing, that fractals are a key to the mystery, but that the universe(es) hum with souls interconnected that go in and out of physical existence...sounds simple go some... unacceptable to others, but how we live and treat others and respond to the negative all have an effect on the bent of cosmic consciousness, I believe...as your woman is blue is able to see though all that blocks her view, she is open to anything.
And religion, the cause of most of our world issues, is out the window as Ghandi's approach is always "in"...such a great mystery and constant source of poetry for those who think for themselves...bravo!

Anonymous said...

reminds me of the quote:

"God made the integers; all else is the work of man." - Leopold Kronecker

RMP said...

quite an intriguing and enjoyable read...I like how you brought the girl from the image in at the end...

Sreeja said...

I favor the notion
that curves,
fractal of otherwise, compose
all the universes & dimensions
we stand square in the middle of,
or on the fragmented edge of--
that the flat topology enthusiasts,
like the flat-earth believers of the past, are just not
imaginative enough, that
our Universe, perhaps
but a microscopic blemish
on the buttocks of infinite
universes,

loved these lines.....very intriguing write....