I try to hear a word in passing,
And pause, looking back
To you,
“Word-Hoarder”
tapping that
Space,
Between breaths,
Silence,
before noise,
matter,
My mind
A surreal zone
Trapped in rough bark,
Plunging in
a vision without emotion,
Stunted roots without time to sprout.
How do I live without love,
How do I feed my heart
Without poetry,
A barren limb alive without living,
An Empty cavern dark without phrases,
A broken chant without sound or meaning.
I ask, I demand drumbeats
Driving sharp spikes inward,
Bleeding roots ripping spirals
Of heart breaking turf’s fresh soil,
Up-turned earth ploughing
Unmarked graves of words,
Gutted and unburied.
There is no place to turn but you,
A sleeping phantom of deep seed knowing,
An ancient tree with severed branches growing,
An awakening of a thousand sunrises glowing red
Chanting on the tip of a copper tongue,
Shaking free a universe of stars for words,
Pleading with an empty bowl,
Please,
Poetry for food that my heart might be fed.
March 22, 2014
Mar 23, 2014 @ 12:35:41
It should be illegal to be as talented as you, Karen! Just kidding – kind of. It IS amazing (!!) that Kalevala inspired you. Speechless – as usual. ❤
Mar 23, 2014 @ 13:02:03
:)) Noora, OF COURSE Kalevala is inspirational! I love ancient mythology as it delves to understand the human connection to self, the origin, the universe. There are truths that are timeless, and there is knowledge to yet be gleaned and practiced by the ancients. Although Elias Lonnrot wrote this in the manner of classic heroic poetry, the is that element of truth that still resides in some portions. Some replicates the patterns of old folklore, but the story of Antero Vipunen is amazing! The answers to ancient chants are found in a sleep state below the surface of the earth, a shamanistic experience that connects the natural world to the physical to the spiritual journey that we ALL seek in all times. A story that belongs to eternity. :))))) Thank you Finland for passing this ancient gem into the future.
Mar 23, 2014 @ 13:07:11
❤ Oh, and thank you!!! 🙂
Mar 23, 2014 @ 17:58:36
Wow…… your writings pull and loosen tangles that are deep inside…… hard to articulate what I mean. I thank the universe for (shamans) poets like you that can hear, taste, interpret, share, and stir.
Forever, L
Mar 23, 2014 @ 19:42:06
Thank you Lucretia! I’ve been reading some Finnish mythology from a piece called the “Kalevala” and finding that I have known things about my writing style but that I haven’t been fully conscious of my knowing them. This has been an awakening. I had to look at a tree in a different way when I was walking home. It gave me a story, it told me a message, and I was grateful. Connecting to the natural world, and finding spiritual value in that connection is my outlet….so to be considered a poetic shaman would be a real honor, Thank you! :)))