Puppetmaster, 1985, Michael Parkes
When feeling bound,
Wishing to be free,
Consider first
The consequences.
Unbounded is not always free.
Bindings are not always tethers.
Bound together;
The ties that bind.
Bound to spirit
That frees the mind.
When bound by self-criticism,
Leap into the boundless realm of possibility.
When bound by the judgements of others,
Slip the bonds of critical thoughts.
When bound by purpose,
Set loose your courage to act.
When bound by a dream,
Let go the reality that dreams cannot create.
When bound by love,
Free yourself to love unconditionally.
When bound to self,
Revel in the connection to all things.
Michael Parkes
The puppetmaster (a portly dwarf portraying the ego in its smallness and elaborate dress) uses a swan puppet to mesmerize the human spirit, represented by the woman. The tiger, or rather our animal instincts, is also held in check by the puppetmaster. At this moment, the time is not ripe for the spirit to walk away from the illusion that the puppetmaster has created.
So, you found that image useful, Peter? [smile]
Actually, there’s quite a story behind that image, Staci…I didn’t remember yours right away.
Seeking an image to accompany Bound :: Unbound … I had Michael Parkes in mind, but googled first. Tried multiple keyword combinations… bound, binding, unbound, slip the bonds… nothing …went to Parkes’ site… still nothing … more googling. Revisited Parkes.
Found a couple images on his site with beasts holding tethering ribbons… and one with a girl blowing bubbles, magically releasing a gargoyle…mmm… subtle enough… picked three. One seemed familiar… Picked it. It’s only when I read Parkes’ notes that I remembered you posted Puppetmaster on Facebook just — was it yesterday? — no, just added the comment — and there’s a duplicate on there from Nov. 08, on which I commented while recuperating from my operation.
The image and Parkes’ commentary are perfect accompaniment to the poem. I had neither of them consciously on my mind as I wrote it this morning. The inspiration for all this was the morning session with my healer which opened up the context of bound, of being bound, of the ties that bind, as I wrote above.
Fascinating how all this comes together…how interwoven the flow of connections and bindings is. Maybe I had Parkes in mind because that image was in the back of my mind somewhere. Maybe seeing Parkes’ image so recently had something to do with the process of recognising how bound up I was, even if consciously I’d totally forgotten about it.
A mind is a fascinating enough thing on its own…mix that with a spiritual being and the realm becomes fantastical. 🙂
beautiful poem….and yes the imagery of Parkes is a perfect addition!
Thanks, Wendy!
🙂