Carl Finch on fri 11 oct 02
All this talk about brick walls--banging one's head or walking
around--reminded me of this delightful poem I came across a few years
ago. (Try not to be put off by the little dig about pot-making!)
"Walking Through a Wall" by Louis Jenkins
Unlike flying or astral projection,
Walking through a wall is an entirely earth-related craft.
But a lot more interesting than pot-making or driftwood lamps.
I got started at a picnic up in Bowstring,
In the northern part of the state.
A fellow walked right through a brick wall there in the park.
I said to myself, "Say, I want to try that!"
Stone walls are best--then brick, and wood.
Now wooden walls,
With fibreglass insulation,
And steel doors,
Aren't so good.
They won't hurt you;
If your wall-walking is done properly,
Both you and the wall are left intact.
It's just that they aren't pleasant, somehow.
The worst things are wire fences.
Maybe it's the molecular structure of the alloy,
Or just the amount of give in the fence.
I don't know,
But I've torn my jacket
And lost my hat
In a lot of fences.
The best approach to a wall is--first,
Two hands placed flat against the surface.
It's a matter of concentration--
And just the right pressure.
You feel the cool, dry, inner wall
With your fingers.
Then, there's a moment of total darkness,
Before you step through
On the other side.
(from An Almost Human Gesture)
--Carl (may you all step through, unscathed, to the other side!)
Gavin Stairs on sat 12 oct 02
At 04:19 PM 11/10/2002 -0700, Carl Finch wrote:
>All this talk about brick walls--banging one's head or walking
>around--reminded me of this delightful poem I came across a few years
>ago.
>
> ...
> You feel the cool, dry, inner wall
> With your fingers.
>
> Then, there's a moment of total darkness,
> Before you step through
> On the other side.
>
> (from An Almost Human Gesture)
The way I do it, you try and try and try to get through the wall, and then,
while you're just leaning lightly against it, wondering what to do next,
you give up. The next thing you know, you're through, and there's the next
one, two paces away, waiting for you.
The funny things about walls is that they fool you into thinking that the
way through must be by force. Even Moses got caught by that one.
Gavin
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