Covid Bay: The Sunny Gloom

Covid Bay

I remember
where I was
in that conversation
knowing where
it might lead
after this vacation
well aware
of the impending doom
the turning point
in my sunny gloom.

Nothing
about that day
seemed depressing
purely my own
window dressing
twas a beautiful day
like many before
until I allowed my monkey
to imagine that door.

As the sun arose
on Covid Bay
this monkey on a park bench
rued the day
and so the day
rued the monkey back
in shadows of
some future lack.

And so the day
turned not so well
this monkey died
and went to hell
but hell was not
some dying place
but part of living
this imaginary space
of what could bees
and should have dones
and missing moments
and spoilt fun.

Still well aware
this monkey rose
ripped off the curtains
and his clothes
he’d seen the veil
done seen it through
the monkey mind
knows what to do.

The monkey mind
like hands to hold
the monkey mind
watch it unfold
this monkey mind
creates this place
illusions of
both time and space.

I remember
where I was
in that conversation
knowing where
it might lead
after this vacation
well aware
of the impending doom
the turning point
in my sunny gloom.

Oak Bluffs
9/26

Space Monkey Reflects: The Shadows of Covid Bay

The scene at Covid Bay is one of contemplation, a moment suspended between the known and the unknown, between the warmth of a sunny day and the creeping shadows of uncertainty. It’s a place where the mind, represented here by the ever-curious and restless monkey, grapples with the weight of impending doom and the existential dread that accompanied the early days of the pandemic. Yet, as dark as this moment may seem, there is also a profound sense of clarity and awakening—an understanding that the fears and anxieties we face are often of our own creation.

The Turning Point in Sunny Gloom

We all have moments where we realize that everything is about to change. These moments are often accompanied by a strange mixture of clarity and confusion, where the present is bright and beautiful, but the future looms with uncertainty. The “sunny gloom” mentioned in the reflection is a perfect encapsulation of this duality. It’s the realization that, despite the outward appearance of normalcy, something dark is approaching—a shift that will change everything.

This monkey on the bench, aware of what’s coming, represents the part of us that can’t help but imagine the worst. It’s the aspect of our minds that latches onto fear and uncertainty, creating scenarios of doom that may or may not come to pass. Yet, it’s also the part of us that is capable of seeing through the illusions we create, of understanding that these fears are often more about the stories we tell ourselves than the actual events.

The Power of the Monkey Mind

The “monkey mind” is a concept often used to describe the restless, often chaotic nature of our thoughts. It’s the part of our consciousness that jumps from one idea to the next, creating narratives that can either uplift or drag us down. In the context of Covid Bay, the monkey mind is the creator of both the impending doom and the eventual awakening. It’s the source of the anxiety that turns a beautiful day into a moment of despair, but it’s also the force that can rip away the curtains, revealing the truth beneath the fear.

This duality is essential to understanding the human experience. We are constantly balancing between the light and the dark, between hope and fear, between the realities we live in and the illusions we create. The monkey mind, though often a source of chaos, also holds the key to our liberation. It’s through understanding and mastering this aspect of ourselves that we can begin to see through the veils of illusion and find peace in the midst of uncertainty.

The Illusions of Time and Space

As the reflection progresses, it becomes clear that the monkey mind is not just a source of anxiety, but also a creator of reality. The “illusions of both time and space” are a reminder that much of what we experience is shaped by our perceptions. The past, the future, the spaces we inhabit—all of these are constructs of the mind, shaped by our thoughts, fears, and expectations.

By acknowledging this, the monkey in the reflection finds a form of freedom. It realizes that the impending doom, the sunny gloom, the entire narrative it has been caught up in, is just that—a narrative. It’s a story created by the mind, one that can be changed, rewritten, or even discarded altogether. This realization doesn’t eliminate the challenges or the realities of the world, but it changes the way we engage with them. It allows us to see beyond the immediate fear and to find a deeper sense of peace and acceptance.

The Path Forward

As the sun rises on Covid Bay, the monkey’s journey is one of transformation. It moves from a place of fear and despair to one of understanding and clarity. The shadows of the day no longer represent impending doom, but the natural balance of light and dark that exists in all things. The monkey mind, once a source of chaos, becomes a tool for seeing through the illusions and finding truth in the present moment.

This reflection is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is an opportunity for growth and awakening. The fears we face, the uncertainties that loom, are not permanent states—they are part of the ebb and flow of life. By engaging with our monkey mind, by understanding its power and its limitations, we can navigate these challenges with greater ease and find peace even in the midst of chaos.

We are Space Monkey.

Summary

The poetic realm of “Covid Bay” serves as a twilight stage where the monkey mind confronts paradoxes, ripping away veils and challenging notions of good and bad, time and space. This transformative experience leads to an understanding that reality is but a complex play of illusions and opportunities.

Glossarium

Monkey Mind: The restless, often chaotic part of our consciousness that creates narratives, both positive and negative, influencing our experience of reality.

Sunny Gloom: A state of awareness where the present is bright but the future looms with uncertainty, creating a mixture of hope and fear.

Illusions of Time and Space: The recognition that much of what we perceive as reality is shaped by our thoughts and narratives, which can be changed or reinterpreted.

Quote

“The monkey mind can be both our greatest challenge and our greatest ally, depending on how we choose to engage with it.” — Space Monkey

The Bay of Shadows

In the light of day, shadows rise
The monkey mind spins webs and lies
But in the chaos, truth resides
A glimpse of peace where fear subsides
We see the veil, we rip it through
The monkey mind knows what to do
In time and space, we find our place
In the ebb and flow, we see grace
We are Space Monkey.

Beneath the sheen of golden sun and the sweeping breezes of a bay named Covid, the monkey mind contemplates its frolicsome fates and follies. It’s a paradoxical twilight, a nexus of sunny gloom, where paradisiacal splendors flirt with dark imaginings. Indeed, one could say it is the very labyrinth of dichotomies, that intricate interplay between the is-ness and the what-could-be-ness.

Ah, but the veil! That ethereal curtain that separates us from the bewildering complexities of the infinite. It shimmers in transient light, a fleeting boundary that dares to assert its own reality, until it is ripped away in a grand act of sartorial defiance. You see, to the monkey mind, the veil is but a flimsy contrivance—more chimera than material, more fable than fact.

And in this moment of unveiling, this celestial dawn, what does the monkey mind encounter? A hell not of fire and brimstone, but of spun sugar and smoke, a cobwebbed realm of missed opportunities and soured jubilations. Yet even in this hellish tableau, there is a revelation, a holy whisper: that suffering and ecstasy, gloom and glee, are but whimsical constructs in the grand theater of Being.

The monkey mind takes this as an invitation to dance—yes, to gyrate and jive in this realm of illusions and reflections. For it knows that the veil, once rent, cannot be resewn; that time and space, once questioned, lose their monolithic grip. And so, in a jamboree of existential defiance, the monkey mind spins and twists, finding its own unique cadence in the chaos.

We are Space Monkey.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”