Perspectives

holding the water,

held by it --

the dark mud

William J Higginson

I have not been mentored in the craft of poetry. I do enjoy relating the words of others to my own experiences. The above haiku is poignant to some recent events. There is also an American culture phrase, "Until you've walked in those shoes, you can't know." Well, that may be true and at the same time I like this haiku on perspectives.

Recently I was in a boating incident. The skilled driver of the river boat was in essence "holding the water." He was managing his boat with control. And then for an instant nature informed him and me and the other passengers that we were "held by it." We were all tossed by the power of water and the result was some physical discomfort. One could say, "we experienced the dark mud." In the poem however, I haven't decided if the purpose of the words "the dark mud" is to represent the experiences in life or simply the object in the water. I do believe our perspectives of boating on the river changed. And, all of us also have different perspectives because of our different experiences. 

This haiku also reminds me of an event that has occurred in more than one of my friends' lives. The past experiences of my friends and me have some commonalities and differences. That is a given. We are traveling the same river, just in a different boat. I can feel the same "dark mud" even though I am in a different place nearby along the river. My reference to the "dark mud" refers to the things that can occur in relationships. The mud is necessary, part of nature, can act like a bonding agent, and has unique properties. Sometimes mud is a healing agent, sometimes it causes us to get stuck, sometimes it feels good, and unfortunately it can also be painful.

While on my boat trip another boat was actually observing ours with a video camera. They felt the water throw us because they were nearby. They likely had a similar experience or could relate to the situation because they had similar challenges and choices. I know this from the observers' expressions when they offered their help in the aftermath.  

I cannot walk in someone else's shoes. I can still feel the mud trodden through. My natural response is to attempt to understand the different perspectives of that mud.