I cannot fathom;
my thoughts cannot grasp
my arms cannot encompass
Infinity

Can prayers then reach
endlessness?
Lost in such space
like a mewling kitten in a maze of caves
just an echo
utterly alone? Or reassuringly
absorbed
just as droplets
gravitate to the lake?

We finite beings
uneasy with mortality
find comfort in our very boundaries.
We have cast off fathomless faith
put creation in a nutshell;
DNA and accidental genes
laws, formulas, experiment
our polished prayer beads
our go-to certainty.

We have followed the science
down black holes
into quantum questions
to places we cannot fathom
cannot grasp
cannot encompass.

world without end
Amen.

42 thoughts on “Ein Sof”

1. Love it, and even if the world has an end for us it is still infinite with infinity being infinitely larger.

   1. we are such small fry – thank you for the prompt as via negativa is the only way to go with this

2. This is stunning, Laura! Yes, there is so much that we cannot begin to understand or fathom 💜💜 You did a fine job executing the form 😊

   1. this was all I could think of when I genned up on via negativa so thank you Sanaa

3. The dilemma, the conundrum, what we are uneasy we are comfortable with, some very deep philosophy here turned around slowly. Enjoyed that v much.

   1. thank you Ain for taking the time to enjoy and consider

4. It’s very hard to imagine a place that doesn’t begin and end with us. (K)

   1. yes our solipsism is so limiting

5. Love the mystery and cycle of where it really begins and ends, or a world without end. I don’t think we can ever grasp infinity as we so love our polished prayer beads. Powerful poem specially the ending lines and gives the reader food for thought.

   1. thank you Grace – the poem took me by surprise gong full circle around the amorphous

6. A thought-provoking poem, Laura. A perfect topic for the prompt! I love to ponder infinity and the amorphous, even though it makes my head spin.

   1. thank you Merril – the head spins are the answer 😉

      1. You’re welcome, Laura. 😉

7. We shall probably never know whether we are alone in the cosmos or whether we shall survive but meantime we can make amazing use of our moments to understand where we find ourselves, who we are, what meaning can we ascribe to it all… Brilliantly outlined Laura!

   1. thank you Andrew for your feedback -maybe we are using an incorrect instrument?!

8. I really love what you did with this one… infinity is so incomprehensible for our finite minds. We do love to create our rigid boundaries to make us feel better!

   1. thank you Dwight – it is something that has been much on my mind of late

      1. It seems to shadow us more as we get older. Cold months are good for contemplation it seems.

9. For me, your poem felt like a journey .. from feeling isolated, to finding solace .. part of the greater whole. Beautifully composed, Laura.

   1. a very nice interpretation Helen – and insightful too

10. A very thought-provoking piece. It is difficult to fathom or encapsulate that which has no boundaries. That “go-to certainty” can feel like a safe place.

    1. ah but as Eliot’s Prufrock challenges us “do we dare disturb the universe?”

11. “Can prayers then reach endlessness?”

    Luv this question

    much♡love

    1. I think you know the answer Gillena 😉

12. Oh, this is some delicious writing. I especially love the penultimate stanza and the ending couplet.

    –Shay/Fireblossom

    1. thank you Shay for such positive feedback

13. Rog, I especially love the second stanza. We finite beings send prayers to infinity, uncertain where they land.

    1. Apologies, I meant Laura. I’m sorry, Laura. My eyes crossed.

       1. never mind – it happens to me too and curses that I cannot edit after sending

          1. Thanks, Laura! I wish WordPress had a comment edit feature. Or an emoji for putting my foot in my mouth.

             1. yes!!

    2. many thanks

14. A fascinating poem, Laura.

    1. thank you Roberta

       1. My pleasure

15. But your words do encompass so brilliantly, our fruitless efforts to encompass infinity. ❤️

    1. I wonder -perhaps because it is already within?!

       1. Maybe…but that doesn’t take away your poetic prowess.

16. We do try, don’t we?

    This is an amazing poem, that never truly ends.

    1. a nice observation – circular indeed!

17. Fantastic poem, Laura! We are a curious being, aren’t we?

    Yvette M Calleiro 🙂

    1. thank you – its a curiosity than can lead to faith or nihilism

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