Parkinson’s Lament. A Poem by Leland Jamieson

 

For G.K.J. (In her voice.)
 
What is this thing called Parkinson’s Disease?
The sickness robs me of my body’s grace,
and worse, it robs me of my mind’s trapeze
for agile thought. No longer do I ace
the mental tests I used to love to face.
Double vision’s dogged the play of my eyes —
so long, so much, I cry, “Is this life’s Prize?”
 
Reading — strong prizing bar to deeper thought
lifting the eyes above the self to see
what lies beyond the daily diddly-squat
of eating, sleeping, bathing, poops and pee —
is gone. Slow living death my apogee?
Can’t draw. Can’t paint. P.D.’s a heart-deep thorn.
I think it better were I never born.

 
 

Leland Jamieson
 
Leland Jamieson lives and writes in Monroe Township, New Jersey, USA. He has three collections of poetry — 21ST CENTURY BREAD (2007), IN VITRO (2009), — plus a handbook for self-taught poets-to-be and teachers-to-be, HOW TO RHYME YOUR WAY TO ‘METAPHOR POEMS’ (2012) also check out his latest book Sooner: A Crown of Sonnets & New Post-9/11 Poems.
 
 
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Old Bod. Poem by Leland Jamieson

 
 
Reflecting on Chapter 43 of
Paramanhanza Yogananda’s
Autobiography of a Yogi.
 
 
When these old lungs have finally heaved their last,
what happens to their animating soul?
The body’s struggles — character — have passed
and all that’s left is bone grit in a bowl.
What then? Do Hindi yogi sages troll,
by way of meditation, cosmic truth?
Is Yogananda’s Yukteswar our sleuth?
 
Sri Yukteswar said every soul is dressed
in three bodies — a nesting Russian Doll!
Once soul’s released from Flesh & Bone, it’s pressed
to fill an Astral body. (They’ll enthrall
us — mental telepathy’s shared with all!)
Inside the Astral lies the Casual body.
It’s realm? Ideas! Souls — Illuminati . . . ?
 
Given: My salty blood’s the salt of seas.
My six bucks worth of minerals are theirs too.
When tide’s outbound and there’s an off-shore breeze
I’ll trust my children, with little to-do,
to pour my ashes and my point of view
into retreating surf — returning earth
to Earth — and me, at last, to Astral Mirth?
 
 
Leland Jamieson
 
 
Leland Jamieson lives and writes in Monroe Township, New Jersey, USA. His three collections of poetry — 21ST CENTURY BREAD (2007), IN VITRO (2009), and SOONER (2014) — plus a handbook for self-taught poets-to-be and teachers-to-be, HOW TO RHYME YOUR WAY TO ‘METAPHOR POEMS’ (2012), can be found, with texts and video readings, at www.jamiesonspoetry.com. where you can also check out his latest book there, Sooner: A Crown of Sonnets & New Post-9/11 Poems.

 
 

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