Perception: Part I

“If a tree falls.....?” No, there is no sound Without an ear to hear. If light shines on....? No, there is no sight Without an eye I fear. Footsteps are not heard upon a stair. Nothing that can be heard is heard there. There - is as still as night before dawn, Like waves with no shore to break upon. Images do not appear where we peer. Nothing that can be seen is seen there. There - is as pitch as anthracite, Like flint with no steel to strike. Just as a candle lit upon a spirit boat We flow through our dark world afloat Thinking the world bright, but the light Shines only within, all else is midnight. There - everywhere - is dark and muted, The senses are but energy transmuted By neural lobes, without which life is stark; An amoeba oozing silently through the dark. Copyright 2021 Paul Thomson