The Prism

Particles of light travel at different speeds. A beam of light through a prism refract these various wavelengths producing the colors of the spectrum. As white light appears to be a single beam to the naked eye, so do I.  Others see only a single being that they perceive as Bill, the person. Through introspection, I see the prism-like fraction of my psyche. Allow me to illuminate.

Using words from Rod Serling's, The Twilight Zone, prepare to enter the "dimension of imagination." My life shined through an existence prism shows the following beams:

The Monk - yes hard as it is for some to comprehend, the monastic life appeals to me. Not a priest mind you, but a friar dedicated to reflection and knowledge. The idea of quiet meditation and hours poring over classical tomes appeals to my contemplative side.

The Librarian - basically a offshoot of the monk, spending days in a quiet building stocked with books filled with the literature, ideas and art accumulated through the ages compels me.

The Libertine - seemingly the antithesis of the previous two life beams, part of me truly desires to flaunt all conventions, mores and restraints upon which society has shackled us. This stream springs from the poetry of Baudelaire and Rimbaud, the writings of the Beats, Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta. Part deranging of senses to achieve enlightenment and part the exhilaration of ingesting poisons to allow one's self  to uninhibitedly let loose and raise hell.


The Dandy - over the years, I have developed a personal style of well-tailored suits, french-cuffed dress shirts, silk ties and polished oxfords. I truly enjoy "putting on the Ritz."

The Derelict - again, a yin/yang relationship to the above. I find allure in the underside of society, the world of thieves, junkies, prostitutes and drunks. I remember the feeling of fear mixed with exhilaration the first time I walked into a seedy, dangerous bar.  To fit in and mingle with ease required a tattered, disheveled appearance.  I spent many hours in disreputable establishments seeking pearls of wisdom among decrepit oysters.

Other bands of personality separated by the "existence prism" include the jock, the musician, the writer, the ladies man, the loyal friend, the procrastinator and the ruffian.

To continue the classic TV allusion, jumping from The Twilight Zone to The Outer Limits, "We now return control of your television set to you. " As ever - BB

"The poet becomes a seer through a long, immense, and reasoned derangement of all the senses. All shapes of love, suffering, madness. He searches himself, he exhausts all poisons in himself, to keep only the quintessences." - Arthur Rimbaud