In Broken Images.

He is quick in clear images;

I am slow, thinking in broken images.

He becomes dull, trusting to his clear images;

I become sharp, mistrusting my broken images.

Trusting his images, he assumes their relevance;

Mistrusting my images, I question their relevance.

Assuming their relevance, he assumes the facts;

Questioning their relevance, I question the fact.

When the fact fails him, he questions his senses;

When the fact fails me, I approve my senses.

He continues quick and dull in his clear images;

I continue slow and sharp in my broken images.

He in a new confusion of his understanding;

I in a new understanding of my confusion.

- Robert Graves.

Graves and this poem of his! I wanted to post this poem on my blog for a very long time. I have a strong association with this poem. When I read this poem for the first time, I re-read it thrice and kept thinking about it for hours. I was trying to associate myself with one of the segments the poet talks about. Am I clear headed person or a confused being!? Often times lost in the conflicts of my own mind, I question common sense and common believes. In fact I question and conflict a lot. Many times I have been called an atheist, an abomination, a rebel for raising questions about the things I shouldn’t be inquiring. I am very vocal to question phenomenon like God, hereafter, fate, faith, angels, Satan, devil, sin and so forth. Reaching the understanding of my confusion is a state I have yet to achieve. I continue slow and sharp in my broken images.

Shazia