The Red Book

Poem written after grandchildren’s visit last summer.

red book

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Carl Jung’s Red Book

A tome of heft and detail

Rich with symbolism and complexity

Created in the final years of his life,

The intricate detail and explanations –

Flowering of his mind and active imagination

Illustrating the consciousness of

His unconscious.

It will take months for me to

Attempt an understanding.

Today, used to weigh down

A dagger,

Made by a small boy

In place of the real dagger

His mother would not let him have.

A silver blade with Mayan chief

Scanned and printed

Colored with glitter glue

Pasted on cardboard

Weighed down by The Red Book overnight,

Bonding.

Then carefully cut to create another dagger

This one “safe”

But representative of the real one

From Panama,

Carried home by his great-grandfather

After the Second World War.

Jung would have approved.

August 3, 2013

2 Responses to “The Red Book”

  1. Cindi says:

    What an absolutely delightful poem!

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