October 9, 2006

Poem in which I meditate upon Benjamin Franklin’s views on the immortality of the soul and the basics of three ball juggling.

Learning to juggle has three basic levels.
First, throw one ball from one hand to the other.
Let it arch at a point just between your eyes.
This is not juggling, but rather
a preparation to juggle. Rest.

Next take a ball in each hand and toss one.
At the top of its arch, toss the other.
Catch, catch. Or drop, drop. Either way, it helps;
Like Ben’s epitaph: “the work will not be lost,
but appear once more, revised and corrected.”

Now, juggle juggle, juggle juggle.
Toss toss catch catch. Toss toss catch, drop. Breathe.
Before you pick it up, take this time to rest.
You may not remember how you got here,
and that’s fine. It’s not about remembering,
it’s about advancing to the next level.
Breathe. Don’t be afraid to release your breath,
it’ll come back to you – revised and corrected.

Now three: repeat step two, but just don’t stop.
If you find you can’t do well at this level
take some time to revise and correct.
You will return to your practise “refreshed”.
In time, with much practice and much rest,
you will master the art, and perform feats,
toss behind your back, catch blind, breathe freely,
and joyfully manipulate the matrix.