Raven 145: The Train

Be in touch with your essential nature (as if that were possible!), or be out of touch with your essential nature (as if that were possible!) -- but what's the point of saying so? Saying it is just words. Show us how you live it (if possible), or don't (if possible). Show us your (and you're) humus.

Case

Wolverine spoke up during the question period one evening and said, "I am finally in touch with my essential nature. It has been hidden all this time."
Raven said, "Is that so? Well, well."
Wolverine said, "It's my basic nature, the source of my inspiration."
Raven said, "My, my."
Wolverine said, "It's beyond all ideas of life and death."
Porcupine said, "More like the train beyond Cedarford."
Mole asked, "What do you mean?"
Porcupine said, "It never seems to break down."
Wolverine put her head on her paws.
Next day, Woodpecker spoke to Owl about this. "I thought Porcupine was bristly toward Wolverine last night," she said.
"Yes," said Owl, "Porcupine was being Porcupine. But you know, Wolverine did break down at last."

Verse

Two trains, Ego and Egoless,
Never slow down,
and never break down.

Ego: unstoppable.
Even when it's derailed, it hardly notices,
it reconstructs the rails under itself so well.

Egoless: unstoppable.
Wherever you look, its rails have long since
Already been placed.

Two trains, one train
Ego and Egoless the same
Numberless trains
Merge ahead.

Case adapted from Robert Aitken; introduction and verse by Meredith Garmon

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