Humpty Day

And suddenly everything was different

When the bubble bursts and nothing is like it was before. The world has become differently in a blink of an eye and there is no way you could go back into that old life again.

This is a poem about new beginnings and the magic of such a moment.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:00:26 Humpty Day – Solo
• 00:02:32 The Way Through the Labyrinth
• 00:07:09 Humpty Day (Remix)
• 00:10:24 Outro

Director for the voice over recording: Viktor Pavel, Berlin

Poem recorded at Mixwerk Studios, Berlin

Transcript

Humpty Day

And came the day
On which she broke
Carried for so long
Dragged along
Sticked with it
Fought her way

Then came the day
So mild a dawn
Who would’ve thought
A day like any other
The day on which she broke

And all the many parts
Held for so long
All the many questions
Born heavy all along
In oh so many ways
That time and time again
Just always lead her back

All which has so irresolvable
Been all there ever was
Broke
Into a thousand pieces
Was there and yet was not
Strewn right before her
All but lost
All of a sudden true no more

No words needed be spoken
Nothing left to do
Just listen to it splinter

And what she could not fathom
She who she was not
Stepped in between the shards
Out into the daylight
Which smelled fresh
And cool
Like morning dew
The day on which she broke

©️ Laughing Brook/Peter Müller 2025

The Way Through the Labyrinth

In our Western world we are obsessed with progress and efficiency. We try to break down everything into „Three steps to effectiveness“ or „Seven Habits of Highly Succesful People“ in order to engineer our lives to what deems to us as goals we should, must, want or need to achieve. Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly something to learn from all of this. Yet, time and again, life somehow seems to throw a spanner in the works and our great plans do not work out the way they should. Just think: New Years intentions.

Life simply doesn’t work in a linear way, despite all our best work and intention. We make all our plans, but life turns out differently. 

So, is it all about working harder, outsmarting the odds of life, sharpening your methods and tightening your discipline even more?

I’d like to offer a different perspective. For as far back as we can see in history the labyrinth has been an image that has been with humans, and for a reason. You can find it in the form of spirals in stone age monuments like Newgrange in Ireland. A classical labyrinth, as you may find it for example in medieval cathedrals like Chartres, Reims and Amiens, is a path which leads you from a starting point to a goal, a center point. Yet, it does not do so in a straight fashion, but meanders from the center to the outskirts and leads you to points where you feel like you almost there, you’ve almost reached the destination you’re so longing for – only to sharply turn around and lead you into the exact opposite direction, further and further away. It is frustrating! It can really take it out of you. And in that regard, isn’t it how life seems to sabotage all our plans and best intentions? Yet, when you keep at it, keep going through the labyrinth, you will once again get closer to your goal. And then, all of a sudden and when you least expect it, you’ve arrived. And you can’t quite figure out how, after all this toiling, struggling and despairing, after this seemingly endless and unpromising path, you’ve now seemingly effortlessly  n  got what you were questing for.

Those moments feel like opening a window, when the stale air is blown away by the fresh scent of a morning. And we all know them. And, thank God, we know them! For all the toiling and struggling, those are the moments where life plays us a fresh set of cards, for us to approach life differently. 

Outro:

There are different ways how one can go about poetry. For me, most of the time it feels as if the poem is coming to me, wanting to be written. This one is several years old, yet I still remember the morning when I woke up and it knocked so loudly and wanted to be written. Over the years, I have cultivated the art to listen to those moments and get pen and paper to let it flow. 

And now it has gotten shape. For this one, I would like to thank Viktor Pavel, who’s a friend and professional voice over artist in Berlin. As a director, he taught and helped me to record this one during a session at Mixwerk Studios in Berlin four years ago. Some things take their time, but I’m really happy that this one is seeing the light of day now with this episode. 

Our next episode is called Towards the Night and is about moments in the dark that can seem despairing, but often are a gateway into something completely new. A bit like today’s poem, but seen from a before perspective rather than an after perspective. It will be out in about a month.

Have you had such a humpty day moment in your life? Do you know them? If so, write it into the comments. If your platform doesn’t allow comments, head over to laughingbrook.net and leave a comment there. And as always, I’m grateful for your rating and recommendations. Share with friends!

My name is Laughing Brook, I am a poet, dancer, mystic, nature coach and man whisperer. Thank you for listening, and – keep on flowing, bumping and jumping with the stream of life.

This podcast will continue without any fixed schedule, as life happens and verses come. So please subscribe to be in the loop and check back occasionally for any new poetry. For more info about me and things beyond this podcast, please check out laughingbrook.net. Thank you for listening, and – keep on flowing, bumping and jumping with the stream of life.