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Upanishads Revisited

Karma, she kept repeating it like a mantra.
Karma, as she scooped her children out of the car.
Karma, as she stuck a gifted parking ticket on the dash.
K a r m a as she pressed her face against my window
and hissed the word at eye level.
I looked at her pale, slightly pock marked face,
her features seeping into my skin through the glass,
tainting me with her conviction.
Pinned to my seat by the weight of her surety
her malevolence snarls and glares.
The bubbling cauldron within
finally propels her away,
a whirlwind of outraged
skinny fit lycra.
Yes, I think,
Karma.

Last few words: 
A car park incident.
Editing stage: 

Comments

I think these are often confused. We may say "I/you have bad karma", meaning luck or fate, but according to the texts Karma is quite specific- it is your actions. Good actions, ie good Karma, gets you closer to a higher reincarnation. I get the impression from the poem the woman thinks she has bad luck or fate to get a ticket, and carries on pretty good about it, and calls it Karma...
But i do not think the intention of the poem is to revisit, and redefine, the Upanishads (or is it?)
Also I'm trying to see that woman more- all i know about her is her temper, slightly pockmarked face, and her skinny fit Lycra... but is she overweight (obese?) or thin, her social stature or other aspects so i might know her better, imagine her better.
And how to relate the theme of getting a ticket, which everyone hates worse than anything, with karma and the Upanishads...I'm just not seeing the thread in this one.

Eumolpus
I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance
ee cummings

You don't need to know more about the woman, there is enough physical detail. You might want to know more about her, but it isn't relevant.
In UK a ticket is something you buy and put in your windscreen to show you have paid.
The entire poem is an irony on the meaning of karma. It isn't just part of the reincarnation journey or indeed a vibe given off. It isn't just the spiritual principle of cause and effect either. It is a vast word with a great many meanings.
This piece from the Upanishads caught my attention:

'Now as a man is like this or like that,
according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be;
a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad;
he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds;

And here they say that a person consists of desires,
and as is his desire, so is his will;
and as is his will, so is his deed;
and whatever deed he does, that he will reap.'

The woman and I were fighting over a space in the car park at the hospital. I got there first, she ended up getting a space next to me soon after and was livid about me getting the first space. She was given a ticket by another driver and took that as a sign of her good 'karma' - that she had been wronged, but by being given a ticket was obviously in the right. In her eyes 'Karma' reinforced her righteousness.
The irony comes from the fact her anger and bubbling fury, is so at odds with my meaning (and the one above) of karma that I found it worth writing a poem about. So yes, her version of Karma is a sort of reworking of The Upanishads.

Oh and I didn't put more detail, as I wanted to see who would work it out.......
I have added one word to the original, which may make a difference.

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author comment

I find EURNOPLUS ABOVE IS QUITE PRAGMATIC AND knowledgeable

'''Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म, translit. karma; IPA: [ˈkərmə] (About this sound listen); Pali: kamma;) means action, work or deed;[1] it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).[2] Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering..''
FROM THE INTERNET

It simply implies ''DUTY''
what you are supposed to do
If I speak truth
no harm (should) come upon me but may not really so happen this is life transformed by many to FATE...
and
Liars know they are digging their own graves ...BUT Many get saved

So forgetting or not indulging in rebirths
do good work in this life
rewards or otherwise lie here ONLY
no where else

This may be my belief only
I have studied human beings
for decades 7 now nearly
hopefully my words will not be wasted

Thanks for the detailed background of the idea of the poem. I think it is indeed a very difficult scenario to make into a poem with so large a metaphysical agenda. But I suppose telling the background of this tale might create a different poem than you wanted.
That you were both eyeing same spot in the parking lot, (which homicides happen almost daily in the USA!) and the fact that the ticket was a payment stub not a summons is hidden from the reader. When I saw "gifted" for parking ticket I thought that was using satire, (as I have no other reference for the term "parking ticket" other than a summons ) And usually when we get them, we put them on the dashboard.
I guess not understanding the thread of events of the poem did not allow me to take the symbolic tale to the next level.

Eumolpus
I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance
ee cummings

Such is the difference between UK language and US.
A lot of my poetry recently uses idioms, phrases and geographic references that are not so easily understood if you are not a UK national.
Probably a phase I'm going through.
Jx

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author comment

Not sure what to say here as on one side, we have a title of Upanishads, which if I am to read correctly is a basis for all the Eastern spiritual thoughts and writings, and the awareness of Karma, which is a personal thing which each individual grows around them by their actions.
A good write on the frustrations of some though, I will research this as it sounds a good subject and get back to you,
Love and good thoughts to you as always,
Yours ian xx

.
Give critique to help keep Neopoet great.
Unconditional love to you all.
"Learn to love yourself first"
Yours as always, Ian.T, Sparrow, and Yenti

The Upanishads form the basis of Hindu philosophy, but also have relevance to Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.
I don't pretend to understand the vast depth of these writings, but was doing a little research a while back, relating to Karma, which as a concept extends beyond the effects of causality. The quote above is from the
Brihadaranyaka. What struck me was that besides the 'what goes around comes around' approach, which is a very watered down Western way of interpreting Karma, was the idea that
'and as is his desire, so is his will;
and as is his will, so is his deed;'
So this woman, who thought I'd pinched her spot and was Beelzebub incarnate for doing so, was obviously in the right because not only did she get the space next to me, she was given her parking ticket for free. This obviously signified to her that 'good karma' was on her side. The fact she was boiling with rage and full of venom seemed to escape her and her concept of what Karma is, which is at odds to my version of Karma and what I think it is.
So she (and a great many other people) by only taking a part of the meaning of the word, have redefined Karma - hence Upanishads revisited.
Phew,
Jx

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author comment

Thank you for your in depth comment in reply, being a spiritual person, there are many things that loads of people don't seem to understand.
The reason for being in physical form is a good one.
I am afraid that I haven't enough years to search and understand these things.
The children I talked to and their teachers, well I am a believer in the things they do and say, one day as my form changes from this to a spiritual one, I have told the children that I will go help them in their tasks of rescuing others.
I was talking to my last Brother the other day, and it was strange that we both knew it was the last time we would be here on this plain together, or able to talk with this noise we make.
I touched him one last time, and he was at peace, some may scorn this talk but I we both knew that we would meet again some place in another form.
One day we will talk again on this way of being, some of the talks with the children are on my site yenti.co.uk
There are several Items there from my pen but who sent them I have no Idea. Sadie's stuff is from the talks with the children have a look and let me know if any of it is of use to your ways.
Take care and know we walk together.
Yours Ian. xx

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Give critique to help keep Neopoet great.
Unconditional love to you all.
"Learn to love yourself first"
Yours as always, Ian.T, Sparrow, and Yenti

ignore me

I didn't ignore you, I'm just not sure what you said or what your point was.
Jx

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author comment

Sanskrit word is
karam==duty
OR
(karm)

NOT FATE
as most are inclined to say/think

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