We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

29.4.19

Why is the wind?

For the 29th day of Poems in April, the prompt is Asking Questions: 'quite simply, write a poem consisting only of questions. If you want to take it to the next level, why not write your own answer to the question(s) in the form of a response to your own questions?'

This emerged from somewhere in the Unconscious. No, I don't know what it means. I 'heard' it as two voices, the first female, the second male.




Why is the wind?

Why is the wind singing sadly
even though there is light in the sky?

Will you accompany me
along this path by the river? 
Or are you too afraid?

How far do you think we must go
in the descending darkness,
before we stop hearing that wind?
And what will be there when we arrive?

                      ************

I hope to find the face of God
when I come to the end of darkness;
I hope to hear the voice of God,
mightier by far than any wind.

Of course I am afraid. But still
I will walk with you by this river,
holding your hand all the way.

The song you hear is your own,
borne bravely in fading light.

14 comments:

  1. This is so beautiful, Rosemary! ❤️ I too hope to "hear the voice of God, mightier by far than any wind."

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  2. Nice questions , Rosemary.. Fear is hard to e pain, hard to be stilled.
    ..

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  3. This is beautiful questions, both the ordinary and the mystic, and the answers are poignant to me,,,

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  4. Rosemary, I love the poignancy of each question. There is something very gentle about the tone which I find appealing.

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  5. Of course the male is striding confidently forward. It'll have to be her to ask for directions. ;-)

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    1. :-D Not to mention the mansplaining about her emotional state.

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  6. My new Favorite of yours!! Just wonderful!! Or....full of wonder!!

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  7. I love the answers... especially the last one. Interesting and beautiful poem.

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  8. Ah. Those last two lines. It would be worth it to find that one who will walk with us all the way.

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  9. Oh I love how you tied these together with the answer... I feel a lot of Psalm 23 in this.

    Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they comfort me.

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    1. I always thought that comforter was God – whereas this one is some bloke who hopes to encounter God.

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  10. And will we know if those who seek find....I once thought I was full of answers..(Southern Baptist answers) When my eyes were opened, I realized how confined my heart had become.

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  11. I think it is far smarter to ponder and ask questions - having the answers (so assuredly) doesn't mean you are correct! Perfect poem.

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