Response to "Burnt Norton"

I.

The present is an abstraction
set apart in time.
“Now” in objective time is already past
before I think it.

But presence may be cut out
as a space in time:
an hour, a day, or an era,
whatever the wished-for focus.

Being present, as we say
requires awareness,
a consciousness of being alive
in the grip of time.

Such presence may last a minute
or, perhaps, a day,
as long as attention is applied.
Intention, indeed, defines the now.

When will you be coming? I ask.
I am on my way.
How long do you think you’ll be staying?
For at least a day.

II.

Presence, thus, assumes my awareness
as it’s made concrete,
applied as a measure in time,
either by projecting a future
or retrieving pasts.

These abstractions, nonetheless, occur
in objective time,
as my awareness is in time
and, as much in time,
as the doorbell that may suddenly ring.

Looking forward to your visit,
I imagine what we’ll do, what talk about;
and, later, will remember what was said
as part of presence that was shared,

a presence that was certainly in time,
but of which we were not consciously aware;
and part of an experienced now
that we both remember.

I can even write down my memories
of the time we shared,
and make them available in time,
offer up a specific “now” that may in time
be incorporated with other “nows”
and, thus, be by others remembered.

III.

Beauty, thus, exists in time
only as attention is applied
through the presence of interested perceivers
who assign their time
to making it a part of forever.

Absent intended presence, a robin’s song,
while existing in time forever,
does not in my presence exist
unless noticed and, possibly, remembered.

So, beauty is ever potential, but is only present for me
if I apply attention.
But attention, itself, is not sufficient,
if judgement is not also applied.

IV.

Presence incorporates judgments made in time
by assigning objects our attention
and making judgments
thus, giving presence
to what to us is important,
thus, bring to life it’s importance
as contained in time
by sharing our perceptions and judgments with others:
a process that creates objective art--tactile, visual, and aural--
in objective time.