“As a pearl in the Indian Ocean” (2018) – Chapbook – Gloria Mannazzu – 3/16

AS A PEARL in the INDIAN OCEAN

As a pearl in the Indian Ocean
sitting at the bottom of the sea
closed in a shell
I understand how life works.

The paradox of self-sufficiency:
without being needy,
you still need others.
You are independent
but you are not alone.

Perhaps no one will be around
down at the level of the ground
but you can’t function thinking “one”
you have to think of the whole “everything”.

It’s the illusion of the ego
we need to embrace
our vulnerable interdependent selves.

“As a pearl in the Indian Ocean” (2018) – Chapbook with fourteen poems and twelve watercolours by Gloria Mannazzu.

1- As a pearl in the Indian Ocean
2- It is true
3- In this box
4- Acknowledgement
5- A silent song
6- Anchor yourself
7- The day to find out
8- Parallel waves
9- It will rain everywhere
10- Paradigms unknown
11- And the time passes by
12- The breathing of a Buddha
13- As a lullaby
14- As a phoenix