The Universe by Michael Hooper
There are 100 billion souls on the other side
They live in the ethereal afterlife
Some live in my memory
Some in my heart
Like a gigantic swath of solar power
The dead rise up, giving life to history
in books and manuscripts
these noisy ghosts try to change the direction of humanity
The artist is hard at work, toiling away in poverty and shame
Injustice everywhere, yet he carries on with a passion for his art,
he knows there is something exquisitely divine
in the wonderment of sands washed upon the shore.
Trash comes up from the ocean and spits out plastic on shore, the Earth is trying to heal itself.
Pain and anguish are unending. He prays without ceasing, he hopes for a moment of relief.
The artist knows the sublime beauty of the sounds of the sea at night
He looks at the dazzling lights in the dark sky and
contemplates the knowledge that there are more stars in the universe than sands on the Earth.
He ponders the vastness of the universe and what is beyond.
The artist has neglected his lover; she is feeling abandoned.
Where is my husband? she cries. Why is he not here beside me in bed?
why does he wander the streets at night like a vampire?
When is his wanderings going to end?
The artist believes he will never feel satisfaction, contentment, or peace, because the bubbling inferno of his soul constantly is striving for the heavens
Searching for harmony, a glow in wonderment,
100 billion souls haunt him tonight. What are they doing in this afterlife?
Where are they going? What are they thinking about?
Do my parents pray for me? This soul lying here, on this empty beach at midnight.
He says, "Alone, alone, alone, I wander, I strive, I struggle to create something sublime."
The artist walks the ruins of Rome, graveyards of statues, chasing mystic reveries and ghosts among the 100 billion in the afterlife. He finds these beautiful ecstasies a melancholy sweetness.
And in the morning he feels despair raging with sadness, pain and emptiness.
When she finds him awake, she says, don’t spend another minute, chasing the dead, your friends are among the living, these cemeteries are just in your head.
Death is the ultimate conquerer of life, but don’t stop fighting now,
you have a long life ahead of you,
death may win in the end, but today is for the living,
go now, and climb your mountains, swim in the seas,
Make love to me
engage with your friends,
there is joy, and peace for the man of love
Buildings crumble, ships decay,
and people die, but love lasts forever
-Michael Hooper, Feb 21, 2023
And there is my painting that I love so much. John hung it in our living room where it is above a lamp and it is wonderful!!! I printed out your poem, so that I can read and reread it. Your poem has so many profound phrases that it will take me awhile to digest it. I love the last paragraph. I see you as the man of love who has joy and peace.
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