Beside the truth: a bauble
I have discovered why the world lacks rhyme or reason. We see it in the random meanings of a word like ‘klōz/klōs’.[1] It sticks its fingers out in all directions. While closed and closer are etymological siblings, they are also antagonists, the latter upholding intimacy while the former embraces the opposite: rejection. ‘Close’ shuts once open doors. When I watch the wind so slightly move the fronds on the fern in my garden or notice a few stray leaves or a cobweb shudder on one of the tree branches, I am reminded that reality is no more than a makeshift. It breaks into innumerable bits and pieces, seemingly unrelated, each piece a whole that is included as part of another whole, and so on. Yet how can a whole be a whole? It is our dilemma. Blake knew this when he spoke of the ‘world in a grain of sand’, of seizing ‘infinity in the palm of your hand’, though he’d never once visited flashing Ocean Beach at the Whangārei Heads near where I live. That’s why this morning I realise variants in a word like klōz/klōs are understandably lies spoken by truth. It’s as much as we can do. I like it when the world is stood up on its head like this: the firmament held aloft on the soles of its spreading feet. One day the firmament will crumble.
notes
[1] Close verb (klōz) closed; closing; closes transitive verb 1 a: to move so as to bar passage through something / Close the gate b: to block against entry or passage / close a street c: to deny access to / The city closed the beach d: to suspend or stop the operations of close school—often used with down / They closed down the factory e: screen, exclude / close a view 2 a: to bring to an end or period / close an account / closed his football career with an outstanding big bowl performance / Investigators closed the case after concluding that his death was accidental b: to terminate access to (a computer file or program) / Remember to save the file before closing it c: to conclude discussion or negotiation about / the question is closed / to consummate by performing something previously agreed / close a transfer of real estate title 3 a: to bring or bind together the parts or edges of a closed book b: to reduce to nil closed the distance to the lead racer c: to fill up (something, such as an opening) / close the cracks with plaster of paris d: to make complete by circling or enveloping or by making continuous / close a circuit 4 a: enclose, contain (archaic) intransitive verb 1 a: to contract, fold, swing, or slide so as to leave no opening / The door closed quietly b: to cease operation / The factory closed down. / The stores close at 9 p.m. 2 a: to come together, meet / The jaws of the vise closed b: to draw the free foot up to the supporting foot in dancing 3 to come to an end or period / The services closed with a short prayer 4 to enter into or complete an agreement / close on a deal 5 to reduce a gap / closed to within two points 6 a: to draw near / The ship was closing with the island b: to engage in a struggle at close quarters, grapple / close with the enemy closable/closeable adjectiveˈklō-zə-bəl close one’s door / close one’s eyes / close ranks / close the door close/closer/closest adjective ˈklōs 1 being near in time, space, effect, or degree / at close range / close to my birthday / close to the speed of sound 2 intimate, familiar / close friends 3 strict, rigorous / keep close watch 4 a: very precise and attentive to details / close reading / close study b: marked by fidelity to an original / close copy of an old master c: terse, compact / exact, close, sober classical style (Edmund Wilson) 5 decided or won by a narrow margin / a close baseball game 6 a: very short or near to the surface / close haircut b: fitting tightly or exactly / close fit 7 confined or carefully guarded / close quarters / close arrest 8 having little space between items or units / close weave / close grain 9 hot and stuffy / a room with an uncomfortably close atmosphere 10 difficult to obtain / money is close 11 not generous in giving or spending, tight / close buyer and a good marketer (W. A. White) 12 having no openings, closed 13 restricted to a privileged class / close scholarship 14 a: secluded, secret b: secretive / … she could tell us something if she would. But she was as close as wax (Arthur Conan Doyle) 15 a of a vowel, high sense, formed with the tongue in a higher position that for the other vowel of a pair / Italian has a close and an open e 16 of punctuation, characterized by liberal use especially of commas closely adverb closeness noun close adverb ˈklōs in a close position or manner / don't drive so close to the car in front of you / look close and tell me what you see / they sat close together on the bench. close noun (1) ˈklōz 1 a: a coming or bringing to a conclusion / at the close of the party b: a conclusion or end in time or existence , cessation / the decade drew to a close c: the concluding passage (as of a speech or play) / at the close of his speech, he thanked his supporters. 2 the conclusion of a musical strain or period, cadence / following the close of the symphony, the audience rose and applauded 3 the movement of the free foot in dancing toward or into contact with the supporting foot 4 hostile encounter, archaic close noun (2) ˈklōs / ˈklōz 1 a: the precinct of a cathedral (chiefly British) b: an enclosed area 2 a: a road closed at one end (chiefly British) b: a narrow passage leading from a street to a court and the houses within or to the common stairway of tenements