Let us get vertical –
Introvertical
Extrovertical
An intro to the introvert:
A state of static and stigma,
Always looking in, too afraid
To look out; it is the natural state,
Or so it convinces itself – after all,
We are all different people with
Different looks and outlooks – why
Then should it go beyond the “me”
And embrace the “you”?
An excerpt to the extrovert:
Of the gregarious persuasion,
Going beyond the self. Now we
Don’t mean one of those who is
Always looking away because it
Fears what it might find when looking
In, we don’t speak of those who feel a
Need to control the outside world
Because their inside world is a total
Mess… No, we speak of the extrovert
In the positive sense of the term, always
Going beyond, pushing the envelope,
Enveloped within the dreams and possibilities
Of someone daring enough to look passed the
Self yet secure enough to live in the present.
But the question is: how to know when going out of
Oneself is a positive thing and when it is a negative?
We are all subjective – if you say you aren’t, well then,
My point exactly – so how to know when where we go
Is healthy or not; how do we know if the places we go
Are driven by the soul’s purity or the body’s selfishness?
Yaakov sent angels
Ahead of him to
Esau his brother
There are times when we must face the parts closest to us
That are also the furthest away; times when the fragments in our
Lives must be acknowledged and bridged, mended, put back
Together and made whole again – moments when we must
Leave what is safe and secure for the things that need us to
Make them safe and secure. And these moments need purity.
To the land of Seir
The field of Edom
When heading towards all that is cold and dark, one would do well
To ensure their flame, their candle is burning vibrantly and passionately.
And one does this by first sending the purist parts, the parts untouched and
Untouchable, the parts heaven sent, the angels within, to Esau, that piece of
Darkness that needs to be turned to light, the ice that needs to be thawed and
Made warm. Only then, once the ground rules are set, once we know beyond
Any doubt – reasonable or otherwise – that our core is secure and our purpose
True, then and only then can we fight for what is true – only after we ascertain
That the playing field can only make us lighter and never darker, then and only
Then can we approach our brother, ourselves, the parts that seem to have broken
And separated – only then can we read passed the intro and become the extrovert…
It is only through messengers heaven sent, that heaven can approach earth;
Only through the pure angels within us all can humanity embrace a brother.
Mendel Jacobson is a writer, poet and journalist living in Brooklyn. His weekly poetry can be seen at jakeyology.blogspot.com
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.