Stories

"The Souls of Millions of Lightyears Away"

It takes a single soul
to recognize another.
A single soul
to transport you out of body
and into space.
It was pure weightlessness
pure atmosphere
pure love
pure wonder
pure selflessness and humility.
A pure and fresh perspective
is what I gained that day.
It took a single soul to change my mind
and remind me of my place.
I was so BIG in that small
rectangular space.
But in the reflection
there was a clear connection
between me and the lights
or should I say a universe
millions of light years away.
My soul recognized
the many souls beyond mine.
There was infinite life
Engulfing mine.
Amongst those infinite lives
and collections of matter
there was eternity.
And then it all came back to me.
So simple.
I am a SMALL part
of a small place
within a confined
- turned infinite -
space.
Who am I to be full of myself
when someone's hands created
all "the souls millions of light years away"
And all I did was open the door
to see it for 20 or 21 seconds?

In this poem/reflection, I play with duality. There is more than one creator. While I could be speaking of the soul and the hands that made the art installation, I could also be speaking about a higher power that created the universe I was transported to while inside the piece. I could be saying Kusama changed my mind or God did. Ultimately, I'm speaking of both. I also mention the actual conditions of the environment. In the beginning, before my epiphany, I was actually a big part of a small space because the floor of the installation was so small and it could only fit 2 maybe 3 people comfortably. However, following my "aha" moment, I began feeling small and insignificant (because my individual impact on the infinitive galaxies, even ours, is minute). At the very end of my poem/reflection I am transported back to reality because the workers at the museum opened the door to tell my sister and I that our 20 seconds of the experience was up. If we wanted to see it again we'd have to get back in line like the ordinary beings we were and still are.