Sunday, December 19, 2010

Now that I know...


They didn’t tell me of the other road to Spirit;
one more hidden and softer to tread,
paved with fallen leaves and rich dark soil,
the scent of earth heavy on the wind.

Nor did they tell me of Spirits other home;
a mansion of hills and deep valleys,
sheltered by giants that sway in the breeze,
sweeping the sky with brushstrokes of love.

I didn’t know Spirit has another voice;
booming as the surf crashes to shore,
heard in the flow of the winding brook
and in the mighty song of the Wren.

Never was I taught of Spirits true face;
found in the countenance of animals and beasts,
peering from dark places with ancient eyes,
through which I see another way.

There was no lesson that the hand of Spirit;
is as close as the one reaching out,
seeking compassion, finding mercy
in the tender grasp that does not let go.

I learned these things from bowing
to the Elders and the Earth,
wise to the ways of Spirit,
and the yearnings of the young.

I learned that Spirit loves to dance,
to screech and pound the drum.
So now I do, my body submitting
to the wild places within.

I listen now to the call of Spirit
in the sounds of the feral and untamed,
in cries for compassion from the lips of the living,
and on the whispering breath of the dead.

I move across the landscape of Spirit
with ecstasy in my soul,
my heart the drum, my breath the song,
my sweat the elixir of passion.

2 comments:

Deborah said...

This is very magical, one can almost feel the upcoming Solstice and Lunar Eclipse in this poem. I do tend to think about things too much, but I believe in the power of numbers and the structure is so interesting numerologically too - 9 verses total, 9 is acomplishment, yet first 5 and last 4 verses break the poem in the half, providing the kick of duality. And so beautifully expressed! You are indded an artist of the word, Deborah. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Deborah said...

It is truly amazing how through the ages so many well intentioned people have tried to "map" the way to Spirit through rules and expectations. It amazes me, too, that so many seekers follow these ways. What really amazes me is that I was once one of these well intentioned people AND seeker. All I had to do was "be". I AM a human BE-ing. No maps, no rules, no grand entrances...just be. Wow! what a relief. I can stop all that craziness now. BE.