Caitlin Johnstone

Peekaboo!

People gather together at the zoo to pretend they aren’t wild animals. People gather together in churches to pretend they aren’t God. People gather together at the feet of the guru to pretend he has something they don’t have. People gather together in movie theaters to pretend the real hero exists outside themselves. People gather…

Caitlin Johnstone
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People gather together at the zoo
to pretend they aren’t wild animals.

People gather together in churches
to pretend they aren’t God.

People gather together at the feet of the guru
to pretend he has something they don’t have.

People gather together in movie theaters
to pretend the real hero exists outside themselves.

People gather together in museums
to pretend the real beauty is hung on the walls.

People gather together at political rallies
to pretend a politician holds the key to change.

People gather together at costume parties
to pretend they’re not wearing costumes all the time.

They play dress-up
as extras in someone else’s story.
They play make-believe
and imagine incompleteness.

This is it.
You are it.
You are as it as it gets.

The Beloved is playing peekaboo with itself.

Saṃsāra is just Buddha trolling you.

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23 responses to “Peekaboo!”

  1. Larry C Avatar
    Larry C

    Oooohhh….I love this one. What I can’t figure out is why more folks can’t see through the bullshit, as espoused by the mediums you’ve referred to – I mean how crappy can our lives be anyways, not to see through these B-movie narratives? *Dammit – I’m out of popcorn!!!*

  2. QT-1 Avatar
    QT-1

    Speaking of movies, cnbc did a story where they adjusted movie box office money’s by dividing by the avg ticket price in that year. Turns out modern Hollywood is on a massive losing streak. Of the top ten most popular flicks, the most recent was in 1997. So, in terms of hitting the big homeruns, all the billions thrown into big production movies in the last 22 years have been a giant flop. Titanic was the most recent flick on the list. The top three —- Gone With The Wind, Star Wars, and The Sound of Music taking the prizes, with ET in 4th and Titanic in fifth.
    Based on that list, it would appear that we go to the movies to a)watch a stuck up young rich girl have to learn to deal with the challenges of real live has her hateful society collapses around her, b) watch plucky rebels battle against a seemingly all-powerful empire, c) be able to sing and survive the Nazis, d) overcome fear and prejudice and make new friends, and e) find love as the whole fracking world is hitting an ice berg and going under.
    From that list, I’d say we go to the movies, as least the big popular ones, to imagine that we might be the sort of person who can manage to survive the real world outside the theaters.

  3. Jp Jude Avatar
    Jp Jude

    With respect, some of my thoughts reflecting on yours. And, samsara is a b@#$%, life just goes on, and on, and on….mistakes and all.

    Canada is one of the top 5 old producers of oil
    Canada is one of the top 5 producers of gas
    Canada is one of the top 5 producers of coal

    Did you notice the world is going green?
    Did you notice Norway with the world’s largest, sovereign wealth fund is #7 in world production of coal but no longer in the top 10 for oil or gas?
    Did you notice the EV explosion in Europe?

    Canada wants a trade deal with the U.S,
    Canada wants the CETA deal with Europe affirmed
    Canada wants a trade deal with China

    Did you notice the car jobs being lost in Ontario?
    Did you notice Europe exports far more to Canada then the other way around?
    Did you notice Canadian farmers losing their markets?

    Canada wants to be a world leader by following Trump and cutting money from the WHO
    Canada wants to be a climate change fighter by following Trump and selling more oil
    Canada wants to welcome refugees by following Trump and limiting their number

    It takes daring to be different.
    It takes vision to lead.
    It is time for Canada to change.

    I want to begin a new story.

  4. Tom Welsh Avatar
    Tom Welsh

    Until now, to be honest, I didn’t really take to Caitlin’s poetry.

    But this is the real thing. I am going to keep a copy of it and read it often.

    For a moment, I felt as if I were once again in the presence of Alan Watts.

    1. S. Black Avatar
      S. Black

      Yes, Caitlin has definitely entered Alan Watts territory now, and I thank her for it. We’ve been needing this.

  5. mike k Avatar
    mike k

    We live and die in illusions, forgetful of the real.

  6. Gezzah Potts Avatar
    Gezzah Potts

    Awwwww….. Just lovely. Thank you Caitlin. Given everything going on right now, especially in the Persian Gulf, this poem has helped remind me to look within, Cheers.

  7. Lloyd Avatar
    Lloyd

    Sometimes it’s lonely being the center of the Universe.

    1. Rayofhope Avatar
      Rayofhope

      What if there is no Universe other than you? (I don’t take “you” as “your” body, physiology, senses and mind)

  8. Rayofhope Avatar
    Rayofhope

    When I am dreaming, I don’t know that I am dreaming. I only know that I was dreaming when I am awake. The fact that dream self and all sentient and insentient objects in the dream are all me is known only when I am awake, not when I am dreaming.
    The wakeful state is not that much different from dream state. This fact is known only when I am Awake to my Real Self (All that is here, known and unknown is I, the limitless Awareness)

  9. Just me Avatar
    Just me

    Excellent, like each thing I’ve read that you’ve written. Praying for You. Hope your writings become read by millions soon. God Bless You.

  10. Ron Campbell Avatar
    Ron Campbell

    There is nothing like the pure innocence of youth.

  11. A Avatar
    A

    Good one!

    A corollary: the concepts in a book by Richard Bach, entitled “Illusions”.

  12. Roy Avatar
    Roy

    WOW!! SUPER SHORT. Reminds of an ultra short, but famous speech that started out as, “Four score and seven years ago…”

  13. Speedy Avatar
    Speedy

    Peek A Boo!
    I see you!
    🙂

  14. AppreciativeOne Avatar
    AppreciativeOne

    I usually don’t comment to just say how great something is, and to be honest I usually don’t read your poems and such. It’s not you, I just don’t tend to like that stuff from most artists.

    But I had to say, “this is great.”

  15. Michel Bélisle Avatar
    Michel Bélisle

    “People gather together at political rallies
    to pretend a politician holds the key to change.”

    In general, if I look at what I have seen so far, they are looking for the best politician to keep the statu quo, not the one who holds the key to change.

    But, they can pretend they are looking for change because in our days, which are the return of the days of Noah just before the Second Coming of Jesus, most of them are of bad faith.

    Great poetry! Miss Caitlin, you could go to the International poetry Festival in Trois-Rivières Canada at the end of september (Festival International de poésie de Trois-Rivières). You would be very good there.

    Keeping my Rosary close.

  16. Tjerzyk Avatar
    Tjerzyk

    thank you well done

  17. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Imho there is nothing more relevant now nor more powerful than believing in a higher power.

  18. John Day Avatar
    John Day

    Samsara is really YOU trolling “you”.

    Sincerely,

    “YOUR” Universal Mind

  19. Satyam Avatar
    Satyam

    Wow. Every email I get from you is spot on and profound! Thanks for offering a daily experience of someone echoing truth in a world where the majority of media that comes to me is not.

  20. Rigby Avatar
    Rigby

    HaHa…. very good.

  21. Allan Hardman Avatar
    Allan Hardman

    Friggen yes, Caitlin!! It’s all a dream, and we are each the dreamer of our own unique version of the dream–ergo, we all live in separate universes, created by us. And we wear costumes to demonstrate our role in the dream drama we have created. We can easily tell who belongs in our dream and who doesn’t. We know who to judge and reject and who to accept– by seeing the costumes. —– A question we could ask ourselves of ourselves is: “Who is in charge of my role and who dresses me for it?” Or, perhaps most importantly, “Do I have any choice about it? ” ——- Or, “Who within is choosing and why do they make the choices they make?” ———- it is said that awareness offers choice. Maybe. Hah!

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