help with deciphering a poem

[knowledge_of_self]

A close friend of mine recently wrote this poem, and had me read it. I have to say that although I'm pretty good at picking up symbolism, metaphors and such... this poem has me a bit confused. I also think that deciphering this poem may help me gain better insight into the mind of this individual, and help me understand this person better. So I thought I'd open a discussion and see what others think, get some ideas and see what others pick up.

I have read your poem many many times

oh your poems,
where do they come from?
Which side of the river of your soul,
grants me such pure water?
how is that your poems can touch my soul but you can’t?

Standing naked,
Under the waterfall of your art,
I bathe my body
and feel the warm water is healing my wounds,
my pains, my sorrows,
how is that I can drawn myself to this corner of your river?
and feel the immortality that you are giving me,
and feel you and your deepest thoughts.
But I don’t know what to do when I reach the polluted waters,
The only thing I know,
The only way I have always known,
Is running away,
Is leaving,
But I want to stay this time.

I see that you drew a rainbow,
very far from me,
I grab a handful of the dark water,
and hold it under the colors of the rainbow that you drew.
my tears are warming my face,
my hair is still wet,
my body is cold when I am far from the hot springs,
I am so mortal here behind the spray,
on this side of your river,
I am counting on the rainbow to change the color of the dark water,
and connect me to you again,
to all sides and every corner of you,
you, my immortal river,
I have found you
And you don’t even realize.

Thanks for the help :)

 

[melatonin]

Thats a very touching poem.
What i read was that this person values you very highly, and feels safe in your company. Maybe they can be themselves and not have a 'game-face' on.
You give them hope. You allow them to be themselves and to show their wounds safely.

 

[ana]

Is this a poem in response to a poem you write to this person exclusively?

It seems this person is appealing to your nurture nature as his/her source.

you, my immortal river,
I have found you
And you don’t even realize.

So take care of the feeding dynamic that could be or is already created here. You know those links are usually unconsciously created between people. And dependency links, never feed the one who "requests" and deplete the giver.

How does this poem make you feel?

 

[Meager1]

Hmm, the blink, was that this person was somehow relating to the Divine spirit within, or the sensual perception of it.

At the same time it appears to elicit or appeal to some "specialness" that tends to allow for the compulsion to invite a drinking from the well.., which may or may not be the intention, yet the feel of the poem seems to be needy..in that I sense something like, I need from You, but I offer nothing much in return, only my own need for fulfillment and if "you feed me" this, I`ll stay.

Of course I may have totally missed the mark, which would explain why I am alone!

 

[Laurentien2]

Under the waterfall of your art,
I bathe my body
and feel the warm water is healing my wounds,
my pains, my sorrows,
how is that I can drawn myself to this corner of your river?
and feel the immortality that you are giving me,
and feel you and your deepest thoughts.

and connect me to you again,
to all sides and every corner of you,

I have to agree with Ana, it sound like feeding is the goal. This person is not looking to help him/herself with knowledge but is looking for and external source to nurture her/his wound. Beware of the flattery deedlet, you are where you are because of your hard work on yourself. It lsound like this person is looking for a free lunch and beware to not be that lunch.

 

[Keit]

and feel the immortality that you are giving me,
and feel you and your deepest thoughts.

my body is cold when I am far from the hot springs,
I am so mortal here behind the spray,
on this side of your river,

There are lot of red flags with this poem, at least that's my impression. Reads like vampire manifesto example from Unholy Hungers. fwiw. This person is probably totally unaware if it, but would be careful.

 

[RyanX]

...this poem has me a bit confused.

I have found you
And you don’t even realize.

I agree with the others that this sounds like an attempt to feed, even if your friend isn't aware of this. But it's hard to say, exactly, without knowing other details about your relationship with this friend.

What about the poem makes you feel confused? Was this sent to you unexpectedly, out of the blue? Was is brought about by some interaction that happened between the two of you? Maybe these are just questions you can ponder yourself if they are too personal for here.

 

[alphonse]

Hi Deedlet

did this person write the poem for you, or is it something they wrote for some one else, and asked for your opinion on it?

Al

 

[Mountain Crown]

I could just be reading with my knucklehead glasses on, but here are some notes:

This seems to be from someone who is confused through unrequited erotic love, and is using poetry to summon a previously suppressed boldness.

Rivers are symbols of fertility. They are also of nature’s power - they form gorges.

I bathe my body
and feel the warm water

and feel the immortality that you are giving me,
and feel you and your deepest thoughts.
But I don’t know what to do when I reach the polluted waters

Spiritual nurturing is not enough, yet the erotic is seen as pollution. (Religious upbringing, no doubt.)

Which side of the river of your soul,
grants me such pure water?

“Do you feel what I feel?”

how is that your poems can touch my soul but you can’t?

“but I can’t touch you?”

I am counting on the rainbow to change the color of the dark water,
and connect me to you again,
to all sides and every corner of you,
you, my immortal river,
I have found you

As is the case with erotic passion, possessing the lover is seen as gaining life, and the ego is deluded to find rest in a form of dissolution through subjugation to its object of desire.

 

[Gertrudes]

Hi Deedlet

did this person write the poem for you, or is it something they wrote for some one else, and asked for your opinion on it?

Al

That was my question as well. In fact, to whom or what is this poem addressed to?

you, my immortal river,
I have found you
And you don’t even realize.

Amongst the other red flags, this quote in particular seems to summarize well the feeding dynamic that appears to be underlying this poem, that is, assuming that this poem is indeed address to someone else that not a part of himself, you never know.
Equating someone to his immortal river, could well be the same as calling her/him his endless food source, or at least it is what it seems. Not to mention the underlying flattery tone that Laurentien also pointed out.

Edit/added: not really sure though, I may be reading this wrongly. It is hard to tell without further details

 

[go2]

Deedlet, It is a poem of love from one younger and innocent of the messiness of human love. The idealism and emotional symbolism of water evoke a yearning for communion with higher realms. In my search for God, I began courting women, projecting my image of the divine onto real flesh and blood women. We know how this works out. The disappointment and betrayal are inevitable, when we project the search for real being into human relationship.

The poem is very gentle and in this innocence we detect movement of the archetypal predator, attracted by the vulnerability of young love. You see the beauty and the beast. It is a special responsibility and honor for you to nurture young love into its proper channels. It is a delight to share this poem and the question it evokes for you. :)

 

[Aya]

yet the feel of the poem seems to be needy..in that I sense something like, I need from You, but I offer nothing much in return, only my own need for fulfillment and if "you feed me" this, I`ll stay.

Me, too. I felt it like a person in the poem is needy and self-centered that he/she is about to take someone's energy away by means of love. Maybe your friend didn't have an intention to depict it in this way...but even if it is as a love poem, it sounds a bit eerie to me.

 

[knowledge_of_self]

Hi everyone:

Thanks for all the feedback!

Hi Deedlet

did this person write the poem for you, or is it something they wrote for someone else, and asked for your opinion on it?

Al

This poem is written by an older friend of mine (female). She sent it to me out of the blue asking what I thought. I talked with her today, I found out that she had written it after a break up with an abusive guy who was an artist.

She told me that she had fallen in 'love' with his art and not the man behind the art. And that basically even though he abused her, she stuck around because she was very drawn to his art, and his way of self expression that drew her to him.She told me she tried to tie it in all together using imagery and creating this poem.

How does this poem make you feel?

Well I must admit that initially what I picked up from the poem was the same as everyone who picked up something predatory. I thought that "my immortal river" aspect was kind of disturbing, but I just didn't want to admit to myself that this person could be so 'dark'. So I doubted my own deciphering abilities, thinking oh no..it can't be that! I was also a little bit scared that it could be about me (probably self importance) which made me feel really awkward if it was.

I think that we were all correct on the wanting to feed aspect of the poem. I think the relationship she had with this artist was one of feeding and it comes through clearly in her poem.

Anyway thank you all for helping me with this. :)