The Spirit of Change

Today is St. David's day so it seems appropriate to take a take a poetic, philosophical and musical slant to recent events.

The current period is obviously a period of great change for me and those close to me.  Change can manifest in many different ways. I always liked the analogy of riding a bicycle where as you ride you constantly adjust. The constant adjustment is what keeps the bike in a straight line. This kind of change is snake like; a slow undulating transition. If you don't constantly adjust when riding a bike then you will carry on a straight line for a while but then the front wheel will start to wobble and you'll end up in a sticky heap on the floor. This kind of change is frog like. It appears to present itself in a quantum (just like a frog leaping) but in fact the energy has been accumulating over a period of time.

The moral is that if you do not go to change then it will come to you.

When change comes to you it can be difficult to deal with because it already has great momentum. I wrote the poem "The Spirit of Change" years ago to articulate this point. The poem was written on the night of a total eclipse of the full moon, an occasion which is viewed by many to be symbolic of great change. I was watching a football match on television when I had the central image of a stallion jumping through a wall and bricks flying everywhere. Football fans will remember the match because it was a hugely entertaining encounter between Liverpool and Newcastle (in 1996) which Liverpool won 4-3. Their victory effectively ended Kevin Keegan's attempt to win the Premiership with Newcastle.

When I wrote the poem I developed the image in my mind as if the horse had been frightened by a fire in the stable and had reared and kicked before bursting through the door and into the fields, galloping against the backdrop of a full moon.

If you find it difficult to read the text then click on it and it will appear in a larger window.

When I read the poem now it seems to me that my illness is somewhat like the "Spirit of Change" and that is why I don't view the situation as a fight.  The horse has already bolted and it requires craft to bring it under control.

Bringing the cancer under control is my "The Horse Whisperer's" job.  I have to keep myself happy and focused, to narrow the angles for the horse and bring it to heel.  If I have to use some brute force then I will, but I also have the medics to handle the gory stuff!