Perception is a B***h

Where's your head at?

they say,

you know the wise ones,

(those who are apparently rather in tune with themselves)

they say, your thoughts are a reflection of yourself

may I beg to differ?

it’s the veil of acid rain

the cloud full of storm

the sun full of shine

and the sparkle full of light

Perception!

that moody little b***h

who has the ability to cheer you up

make your day a little brighter

with lipstick and glitter

or - with one foul swoop

she can

kick you in the guts,

knock you to the ground, and

stomp a while on your head

Perception!

that little wench with all the power to

make you see things clear like the

cloudless Himalayan skies

or drop your right in the

holy s**t, still steaming from the

butt of the street weary Indian Moo

(location squeezy lanes of Varanasi)

Perception!

that little trollop we are supposed to

observe from afar

but instead, she always invites herself

when uninvited to

every goddam moment, and

fully equipped with alcohol to add fuel to any

current ravaging fire, then

cutting the lines to invite

the heaviest of comedowns

Dear Perception,

this is an abusive relationship.

I say f**k you

you gotta go

you know you have all the power

I’m not willing to be manipulated

one

moment

longer

the journey is long, but honey

the reflection I wish to see is on a calm lake

(perhaps in Ladakh)

away from your drama

where the pot is always boiling, and

delighted conversation is always welcome

to simply keep learning and evolving in love

Reviews

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

"Dear Perception, this an abusive relationship," loved what you did with that turn there! If only we could control our perception of things. I wonder, would the world be any better or worse! Great write!

[Rick Puetter]

Ah yes, to rest quietly on a calm lake in Ladakh...sigh. I've been in Kashmir twice, both times either on a house boat or a calm hotel right on a lake. The first week-long trip I shared with my wife on a houseboat. This was part of a month-long trip to India composed of two weeks of meetings, 1 week in New Delhi and 1 week in Bangalore. We also has two weeks of pure vacation. It was a wonderful trip with all sorts of amazing serendipitous happenings, including being the only white couple invited to a state reception to meet the widow of Shu Bei hong, the Chinese artist famous for his ink drawing of running horses and a personal friend of Rabindranath Tagore the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. It was a full state reception and meal, and how did we get such an invitation, my dear wife ask for an invitation while visiting the museum of modern art the previous day, and that doesn't even mention the $8,000 of jewelry one of the merchants lent Rosalinda for the dinner and other compounding events. My second 2 week trip was to help lead a Winter School on Astronomy organized by the Tata Institute. I and 3 other astronomers from the US and Canada gave 5 lectures each.

Now after this wonderful reminiscing, let's get to the poem. Again you point to a powerful driver in life, the pure perception of life around you. This can be powerful in a good way or in a bad way, but it generally always powerful. Enjoyed this insight.

Rick

[KWP]

You know, I have not been to Ladakh, but have heard many stories about the uppermost region of India. I have travelled India extensively, It is my favourite country by a long shot. When I visit I am reminded of humanity and how we need to focus on what matters - the people who surround you, the people who share your love, the people of the earth, for yes we are all connected.

Nepal is another country I adore. Nepalese people are so full of warmth. My husband and I trekked there in '96 to Kalar Patthar, which is above Everest Base Camp. We always promised to take our kids trekking there and true to our words, we took Jordan 14 then and Mali 13 then to the top of the world (well almost). Both have since developed a love of hiking and together we have hiked in Patagonia (O Circuit - wow) Peru- The Salkantay - long hard but totally worth it. Ecuador - Quilatoa Loop to the top of a Volcano, Paramo Trek in Columbia - high altitude again, different environment up there and of course many Aussie treks where one cannot be fooled by the heat of the day or the snakes in the gullies.

Yeah well, thank you too for the reminisce :) Have a great day.

[Rick Puetter]

Yep. we absolutely loved India. Only been in Peru once. Was in Ecuador of a few days going to and returning from the Galapagos Islands. Thanks for filling me in on some of your trips.

[KWP]

Oh yes - I was listening to a podcast on the Galopgaz today - loved my time there. What an amazing place. Was thinking today that perhaps I would love to return. Love to take my other so. And show him around this time. Lowlight was the water taxi for 2 hours in a small speedboat with massive waves - ugh that was hard. 😬

[emmajoy]

Perception is a b***h... so what does that mean for self-awareness or knowledge?! Perhaps that makesa ratio of 1: 2 and wotsit it all! As ever, dear E.. you send signals of needing a slowing down of life, perhaps.. or being guided by instinct rather than brain. Instinct allows arguments with perception, does the booting out and away. Perhaps. I think there's a need to go deeper into this, stanza by stanza, making notes and trying to read what is not said rather than what is superbly laid but.. problematic.
Truth or not.. you offer your perception of Perception... careful thoughts or maybe acceptance is definitely needed. I shall return.. or perhaps message instead Take care, keep safe.. enjoy your season best can.. please.

[KWP]

Well you know me too well. You I have been working too hard and yes life has not been in balance and yes I need a different perspective.

Brilliant interpretation and I am now not working so time to readjust and even better get back to the cafe.

[emmajoy]

Do whatever you can and.. importantly, what you need to do. Life has always been a trap, one way or another! Will lure you back with wine and naughty feasts as will fine poets and authors in here.. titbits of literacy, no less. :) Meantime, keep safe, PLEASE.

[Cassie]

wow!!! I literally said those words aloud..I enjoyed this a lot. Wow

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and the longer we exist on this earth, the keener the perception becomes. And unfortunately it take
the air out of the joys because we just see it coming...the other shoe falling...
Damn experience...I think experience is perception's cousin.
j.

[Einstein Noodle]

hmmmmmmm heavy hitting poem says i ... interesting "Her" persona is female ... what a struggle i see in this my friend ... our perceptions are what we have to interpret ...well .. everything .. and are based on ... well ... everything we have learned and experienced .. "She" is the doggerel in your poem .. the tenacious loquacious "b***h" never absent ... the "quiet mind" requires her demise eh!? ;) ...........that's how i see this one KW! love you are posting anew! its been a while.

[KWP]

Hey you - how are you? Thanks for stopping by - well yeah my head has been so crazy of late - it's funny I know the steps to take to fix the issues - but the mind is a complicated thing

[Einstein Noodle]

[barleygirl]

I am squealing & writhing in envy! Oh how I wish I had thought of such a clever twist for ranting about perception (or anything!) I love how each verse begins with a fresh new epitaph to label perception -- spoofing the concept of labeling. I love how you wrote this from the perspective of expunging the warped contribution of perception from one's own sight, rather than being a rant about someone else's bad perception. We all wrangle with perception, coming & going, & you show the tussle so entertainingly (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Wild Rose]

Eee I think you missed out one

She has a painted face and
A padded bra giving her a huge bust
and a too-tight belt to give a small waist

Don't go there she is all false

I liked it

[dw817]

Sounds like you may have some bad run-ins with perception. But perception at least for me has always been my friend.

Abraham Lincoln once said: "We're just about as happy as we make up our minds to be," and how true that is ! If you think you're going to have a bad day, there's an excellent chance before the day is done you will find a way to make it happen.

I've been put down so much growing up that after awhile you become insensitive to it.

Varanasi (googling) appears to be in India. That can't be all bad. Might even be a nice place to visit.

Rating: 100/100
You clearly emptied your chest.
And yes, love will lead the way.