This Place
At the earth’s edge there is water,
and from water we see the earth.
Two elements, united by the wind.
Congregated by amorphous clouds
is the infinite blueness of the sky.
The majesty sets our minds on fire.
At sunset is the gleaming brilliance of fire.
Red lights the ripples of dark water,
saturates every bit of the sky,
and paints wet objects on the earth;
it tinges even the clouds,
whose sheen shifts with the wind.
On quiet mornings there is no wind.
We see a hemisphere of fire
with no hint in the air of clouds,
rising, silently, over the water,
above the blackness of the earth.
A new dawn is beginning in the sky.
On the mountain top, all is sky.
We are close companions of the wind.
Far below us we see glimpses of earth;
here and there, below, lights as fires.
The lakes look like tiny puddles of water.
We see eye to eye with the clouds.
Birds roll and tumble in the clouds.
As lakes for us, they swim in the sky.
Their somersaults and dives, reflected in the water,
maneuvering with swells of the wind,
red feathers in the sun, fire on fire;
nature’s magnificent show above the earth.
Above the core and the rocks is the earth,
which is an orienting presence for the clouds,
which is alive with life, and sustains beyond fire.
It shares Gaia with the sky,
is shifted by the wind,
and is carried down mountains with water.
Water is Father, Mother is Earth
Wind is Sister, Brothers are Clouds
Sky is Wise, Great Illuminator is Fire
Brendan is the host of earthweal. This is a reblog of a poem written awhile ago. earthweal seems a good place to re-post it.
Love “hemisphere of fire” to describe the awakening dawn. Beautifully written!
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Dora, thank you!
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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I love the way you’ve united the four elements here and woven them together into an earth-song which is indeed perfect for Earthweal!
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🙂 Thank you, Ingrid. I like the sound of earth-song.
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I loved the stanza about the birds, Lisa! Gorgeous!
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Thank you, David. Glad you enjoyed it.
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The opening stanza is Earth in a nutshell, Lisa, and I love the way you portray the elements! I especially enjoyed the lines:
‘Red lights the ripples of dark water,
saturates every bit of the sky,
and paints wet objects on the earth’
and
‘Their somersaults and dives, reflected in the water,
maneuvering with swells of the wind,
red feathers in the sun, fire on fire’.
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Kim, thank you very much!
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What a beautiful poem. I love the lilting language: so serene.
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Chris thank you very much. Sorting through the writing folders I came across so many I forgot about.
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That’s a true vision Jade. Like a total embrace. (K)
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Thank you, K. The sestina is a challenge but that seems to be the effect it gives.
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It all comes down to fire or water, doesn’t it? Sometimes we get both together. You paint a luminous picture of what really is.
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Jane thank you very much for your comment ❤
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My pleasure 🙂
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Earthweal is DEFINITELY a good place to post this beautiful homage to the beauty of the earth. I love your closing stanza,
“Water is Father, Mother is Earth
Wind is Sister, Brothers are Clouds
Sky is Wise, Great Illuminator is Fire”
Just glorious.
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Sherry thank you very much and glad you feel it.
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So, so lyrical. It’s so nice to come across older writing of mine that doesn’t make me wince but still looks and sounds good and needs no changes!
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Yes, exactly 🙂 Glad you like it.
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