Magpie Pearls

One Among the Many (maps in the dust)

Now                                                                              alone

imagine

you're alone,

but you have

something to say.

You turn on your chat

to message a follower,

a friend you don't really know.

Because you've been reading their work

for months and left many comments on their  show,

and they have read yours and left supportive feedback. So

you think you do - know them: You trust they'll want to listen to you.

Now                                                                                intimate

imagine

you are two,

chatting away,

a closed bubble,

a safe place perhaps.

So you decide to tell them

you've been having troubles.

They listen but answer in riddles

or unrelated thoughts, wildly tangential.

Insert:________________________________.

You pull back wondering are they a friend or not?

Now                                                                                 unstable

imagine

you are three

points of a triangle.

There's a and b and  c.

b and c are busy talking,

leave a behind in the dark,

or a and c share something

and poor b's stuck in the middle.

What a says to c is a only a rumour

about b, and b can't quite make it out

but senses the energy directed his/her way.

Now                                                                                  secure

imagine

you are four,

balanced and stable,

chatting amiably 'round a table,

enjoying conversation or a game.

Two to two is equality, square and fair,

yet prone to break when tensions fill the air.

Steady two to two quickly explodes into pairs.

Worst difficulties occur, oh wretch, when it's three to one:

They, resolute and entrenched, are most adamant the interloper

deserves to be pushed then trapped in a corner and isolated there.

Now                                                                                       strife

imagine

you are five,

dynamic, yet in conflict,

as two pairs leave one out,

and strong personalities shout,

and soon find themselves leading

others astray. What happens to harmony

then? What's the scenario behind one removing

himself by monopolizing the day, bouncing the ball,

he goes on his way, suddenly, stubbornly, unwilling to play?

Now,                                                                                     complementary

imagine

you are six,

a half dozen,

balanced just right.

A favorable number for

amusing rounds, yet prone

to pairing up and splitting in two

or three seperate ways, or scattering.

Bewildering complexities multiply the more

numbers you add, but most difficult by far is  .......... singled-out.

Without knowing the rules of the game, you stumble

around, bumping into yourself, never sure how to play your

part to avoid the tricks, laughter, and snares. Surprises spring

out at you like a cheshire smile. Is it friend, foe, or gate? Do you relate?

Now                                                                                        the many

imagine

for a moment,

humour me if you will,

out decides isolation exacts

too steep a price for transgressions

and steps out into the clear light of day,

asking truth and justice to help guide her way.

For one among many, no longer alone, can face

dangers and pitfalls, dark lurking voices, whispering

undercurrents, without losing the way or being led astray.

           Love you guys, you're all in your own way distinctly AMAZING!

                                                                                                       @nevarah