#67: Sense I Fail Four U (Perception)

You Can Stare Into The Dark,
Listen To A Meadow Lark,
Sniff Out Every Rotting Shark
That Looks To Chomp Your Hide . . .
But As You Try To Feel Your Way,
Or Taste The Pleasures Of The Day,
Your Senses Only Can Portray
That Which You Decide.

The Buggy slowed and came to rest,
and we looked out upon
a sea of gold savanna grass
that baked beneath the sun.

As far as I could see, my eyes
took in the endless view
of waving grass, with channels of
a wind-carved avenue.

To and fro, we watched the wind
toss the golden strands,
like bouncing hair of coquette blondes
with overactive glands.

About that time, Jo-Mima looked,
and saw, not far away,
an elephant standing, circled by
some folks who seemed to pray.

So we set off on what became
about an hour's walk.
No sooner would we choose a path
than we'd get stuck with stalk.

The wind would turn and blow at us,
directly in the face.
We'd have to stop until it showed
another path to trace.

So, back and forth we had to wind
our way as we were shown.
A crow would think us crazy for
our moving as if blown.

We finally made it over to
a motley crew of five.
Blindfolded, they were touching parts
of pachydermy hide.

A Hindu held the trunk and said,
"It feels just like a snake."
A Yuppie at one ear declared,
"This leather bag is fake!"

A logger from Seattle knelt
beside a giant leg,
and said that saws could fell that tree,
but he'd prefer a keg.

A man dressed like a prisoner stood,
arms stretched against its flank.
He cried about the firing squad
such sturdy walls must rank.

A woman in full climbing gear
was playing with its tail.
She tugged to verify its strength
for rigging not to fail.

Not one of them was cognizant
that we had joined the group.
None took scarcest notice when
the creature took a poop.

Jo said, "This old parable is
the one we've heard a lot.
It's all about perceptions, and
how context means they're got."

I was thinking, to myself, of course,
"Okay, I've heard that too,"
but just about that time we saw
the changing of the Crew

Each of them moved up one place.
The first in line went back . . .
and then the group's responses threw
both Jo and me off track.

The climber touched the leg and then,
upon a moment's grope,
decided that she'd grabbed herself
a stronger, thicker rope.

The Logger took the prisoner's place,
and pulled the 'doomed' man free . . .
but surprised us when he said the flank
was just a bigger tree.

The Yuppie deemed the trunk to be
a sleeping bag of suede.
The Hindu flinched at what he called
a hungrier snake in shade.

"This is weird," Jo-Mima said,
"this story plays all wrong.
Each part is s'posed to feel the same
as each one moves along.

It's odd . . . no matter what they feel,
nor what their sense reflects,
each person's getting only those
impressions he expects."

The great bull chose that moment to
trumpet clear and loud.
It looked at us, and then we heard
the Voice's roar come out.

We turned around, prepared to run,
and yes, prepared to fight
all that way through blowing grass,
back to our landing site.

We were surprised, to say the least,
to find the grass all blown,
favoring now, our chosen path,
as if just freshly mown.

Back at the landing pad, we found
the Buggy's engine humming.
We kept expecting the Voice to show,
and add a little drumming.

And then, in Elephant-English, came
a very nasal sound,
and message about our senses,
and how we let them down.

"You boys have learned enough to guess
what you have witnessed here . . .
but it's much more than facts might be . . .
and more than they appear.

Perception's more than seeing, and
seeing is more than sight.
It's hard to process everything . . .
and thus, you're never right.

Most creatures fail to take it in,
and even those that try,
are apt to opt to choose to let
assumptions get them by.

They do not look . . . they do not want
to listen, taste or feel.
They meet their senses, minds-made-up . . .
they already know what's real.

The parable of the Elephant Crew,
you mortals like to muse,
to provide yourselves the anecdote . . .
perspectives one can lose.

It seems quite humorous to all of us,
now speaking for my kind,
the lesson and the joke should be
decision is what's blind.

You see, the point of sensing things
is that, the world perceived,
is never more, no matter what,
than that which was believed.

But, child-like as you boys still are . . .
you've made it quite a way . . .
and anymore you learn from here,
is up to you, per se!"

The Carriage started lifting off
as Jo and I climbed up.
We thought we'd picked up everything
this State could share with us.

And sure enough, I guess we saw
correctly what we'd learned . . .
for all the lessons of that State,
had left the engine churned.