To look at any thing,
If you would know that thing,
You must look at it long:
To look at this green and say,
"I have seen spring in these
Woods," will not do - you must
Be the thing you see:
You must be the dark snakes of
Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,
You must enter in
To the small silences between
The leaves,
You must take your time
And touch the very peace
They issue from.
~ John Moffitt ~
THE LIVING SEED, 1961, Harcourt Brace & Co.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I Can't Go Back Yet
by Nirav Sumati
I need to lie here.
I need to immerse myself.
I need to see nothing but green 
for a little while.
I need to nourish my soul
to stroke it gently to life.
I need to lie on this ancient log
to soak up sky latticed leaves.
I need to wander my eye up
up a trunk till I can't see.
I need to be here by the creek
to give my body to the ferns.
I need to breathe rich air
to receive my taste of soil.
Wilderness is no longer a luxury:
Just as my child needs milk from my
breast,
this I need from my mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If You Sit Still Long Enough
If you sit still long enough,
The cardinals will come close and dare,
To show you the colors that they wear,
If you sit still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
The thrasher no longer hides,
To his curiosity he must abide,
If you sit still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
From the ground the voles will peek,
And smuggle seeds by your feet,
If you sit still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
The fox will quietly slink by,
Followed by the white throat's tattletale cries,
If you sit still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
So many worries that belong to man,
Will seem so tiny in your hand,
If you sit still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
The wind becomes a choir,
And the oaks are temple spires,
If you still long enough.
If you sit still long enough,
What was once the earth and you,
Is now one where there were two,
If you sit still long enough %uFFFD
%uFFFD%uFFFD%uFFFD%uFFFD%uFFFD%uFFFD Nighthawk
page: www.krvfpd.org/febmar04.htm
4 comments on Poetry and prose 7/4/08
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Rejoicing in nourishing stillness!
Beautiful comment thank you
Oh, I've been left with just breathing...for a moment, nothing else was here but the words being spoken to me (as I was reading them, it's as though they were being said to me) and my breathing...of course, I felt like I was outside. (I'm home in the office, though.)
I realized something else today...today being July 5... sort of another "one of my revelations to and for me", but I don't know if I can put it into words. I just know that I now understand a lot better WHY I have always enjoyed so much in the ways I enjoy them... and, wow!, does that ever make me feel good!