Saturday, February 21, 2015

Age


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Born to the wind and the wildish waves,
trapped in a river valley,
my soul lifts up to trace 
great flapping circles across the sky,
grey, mist-trailing clouds, flowing out behind me,
gauzy veiled mystification, obscuring sight,
like woolly scarves along the mountaintops,
like stunted wings.

I touch down in my spirit place:
mossy banks and old growth,
the sacred silence enveloping me
in the everness of time,
then soar back to my body,
replenished, but land-fettered, 
all sky-blown.

Somewhere along the way,
one's questing self catches up 
to the soul's journey,
integrates the all-that-was
into the being-here-now,
the looking ahead, finite and already scripted,
measured against the pressing beat
of time's accelerated passage.

The treacherous pilgrimage across 
the perilous mountain passes of the heart,
the bloody-footed stumbling up rocky ledges,
the sliding down,
the impetuous struggle of surviving,
the constant rising up and beginning again,
has morphed into this kinder, slower, 
more benign acceptance
of What Is.

Life is already done.
Now is the summing up, the reconciling
of the dreams, met and unmet,
the telling of the story
that is creating its own slow ending.

After struggle, after enduring,
after all the Keeping On,
I find myself in the turret
of my being,
calm and still,
gazing down and across
my own peaceable kingdom.

*I borrowed the phrase "peaceable kingdom" from the closing lines of the fantastic poem Getting There by David Wagoner: "your own unpeaceable kingdom". Altered, since mine is peaceable. Whether from inner peace or sheer exhaustion has yet to be determined, LOL.


45 comments:

  1. Somewhere along the way,
    one's questing self catches up
    to the soul's journey....we can hope..

    i find the choice of language very interesting as well there in the end...as i often think of turret in ragards to weapons...but i guess even a peaceable kingdom needs defending...eh? smiles

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    1. When I say turret I picture a princess dreamily leaning out of her rounded tower. Ack! that must be what I meant. But come to think of it, my peaceful tower IS well defended, for fear of losing my peace, LOL.

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  2. Exhaustion probably, if I know anything about chronic pain.
    But this is an amazing write, Sherry. I could never come close to doing anything like this.
    Luv, K

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    1. Oh but you do, Kay! I had to work hard at this, given my brain is very porridge-like these days. The words are not flowing easily. Like plucking them from sludge, and scraping away the detritus to see what's there.

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  3. Oh Sherry! I LOVE this and was right there with you the entire journey. So many wonderful images 'Born to the wind and the wildish waves,' 'replenished, but land-fettered, all sky-blown.'
    'I find myself in the turret of my being, calm and still,'
    Just beautiful!!!!

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  4. You know, I think each of us makes our own peaceable kingdom. We have to come to terms with our life as it is, make peace with it. We have to find our spirit place and reside there. And life is never done...until it is over! Smiles.

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  5. I sense some serenity in your words, Sherry. I am gls you have found that 'turret'. Treasure what you have and keep writing.

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  6. There is grace and acceptance in your life Sherry ~ You are indeed blessed ~ Love the ending line -
    my own peaceable kingdom. ~ Happy weekend ~

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  7. Oh I think there is at the very least an inner understanding behind that peace. All your poems that I see lately just blow me away with grandeur as well as beauty, and of course I identify hugely.

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  8. This is exceptional Sherry, a perfect peaceful understanding. I read this and immediately applied it to my writer self as that is where my thoughts have been the past several months, reconciling my words with poetry, "met and unmet," written and unwritten. Kisses Dear One.

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  9. The wonderful progression to the images of beauty in two the frankness at the end, the reality of life so many fail to comprehend.. Hope there are many many beautiful poems coming out again and again, and other goals to meet.

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  10. "the constant rising up and beginning again,
    has morphed into this kinder, slower,
    more benign acceptance
    of What Is." this is so peaceful yet it is achieved at the cost of tears...we're all journeying towards that restful turret...your words are soul stirring Sherry....

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  11. The beautiful journey of soul...
    Nice one Sherry!

    I loved these lines:
    "Life is already done.
    Now is the summing up, the reconciling
    of the dreams, met and unmet,
    the telling of the story
    that is creating its own slow ending."

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  12. The beautiful journey of soul...
    Nice one Sherry!

    I loved these lines:
    "Life is already done.
    Now is the summing up, the reconciling
    of the dreams, met and unmet,
    the telling of the story
    that is creating its own slow ending."

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  13. This particular stanza speaks true to me

    "Life is already done.
    Now is the summing up, the reconciling
    of the dreams, met and unmet,
    the telling of the story
    that is creating its own slow ending."

    I am not too young, not too old and I don't know how much time left to realize my dreams. It may happen. or not. Come what may.

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  14. a lovely transcendental, i journeyed with you; how wonderful
    have a nice Sunday

    much love...

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  15. I love that your writing has that oneness with nature. The peaceable kingdom where all can co-exist...such a lovely thought.

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  16. I like the idea of one day reaching the turret of my being..yes it may mean less time but what has gone before can be reconciled (hopefully) and some peace and contentment found - and a wonderful view -..happy Sunday to you Sherry xo

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  17. wonderful tell tale, mi amiga.
    it is the life of most of us, some maybe with greater crucibles to bear. to come to the place and time where one must gather oneself, body and soul, and breathe in deep to consume the air and the eyes gracious in their surrounding of where life has taken them. this write portrays the calm and quiet place i wish to be in when it comes time for my final breaths.

    gracias for sharing your heart and soul, mi amiga

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  18. The treacherous pilgrimage across
    the perilous mountain passes of the heart,
    the bloody-footed stumbling up rocky ledges,
    the sliding down,
    the impetuous struggle of surviving,
    the constant rising up and beginning again,
    has morphed into this kinder, slower,
    more benign acceptance
    of What Is.

    Your journey, marked by challenges, both of the physical and those of the spirit, has taken you to the present, a blueprint, perhaps tattered and frayed, but imprinted with footsteps still defined, on your continuous adventure in time.

    I enjoyed this immensely. Thank you for lifting my own spirits, on this unusually blustery and grey Cretan day.

    xx
    Poppy

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  19. The story of life, the challenges and the acceptance ... beautiful poem :-)

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  20. you have a way of writing about those life truths.. beautiful.

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  21. quite a journey you've taken us on... the struggle was so real... sweet, then peace still comes... what a beautiful picture this made: "woolly scarves along the mountaintops"

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  22. oh yes, "time's accelerated passage".

    you have quite a journey, Sherry. :)

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  23. A fragrant loamy dance Sherry. There are still moments to dance yet and dream of the woodlands and wild wind whipped seas.

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  24. Sherry,

    A most beautiful poem. I felt as though I was accompanying you on a flight, like a bird. Peaceful while looking to history, yet also observing the future. Life itself was reviewed..Mystification, land fettered and meeting oneself...A most rewarding journey Sherry.
    Happy Sunday, Eileen

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  25. It is a nice feeling to know one has come to a finality. It was quite a feat you had to go through! Great take Sherry!

    Hank

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  26. Accepting and moving on are such important things to do in life, great thoughts on those topics.

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  27. So much to love here, but first I love the idea of being in my own turret looking down at my own peaceable kingdom. Such a goal to reach as our story unfolds now that the dream has caught up with reality....that is the reconciling. And if we are lucky it will be a good reflection of our lives.

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  28. "turret of my being" Poetry! What a great image!

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  29. This is exquisite, Sherry! One of your finest pieces.

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  30. Sherry this is a stunning piece! I would love to remember each word, but instead I will remember how it made me feel when I read it! A wonderful write! Did you feel it?

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  31. I find I am coming closer & closer to my turret everyday :)

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  32. "The treacherous pilgrimage across
    the perilous mountain passes of the heart"

    stunning, Sherry!

    i wish i could reach the point of calmness... not there yet though i thought i would be by now.

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  33. 'great flapping circles across the sky' immediately make my ears full of sounds and waves...I'm there with you observing....universe still waiting for your new journey...blessings!

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  34. I think you speak for the majority of us here, Sherry and am glad that you do. A turret is both a tower and a weapon of defense when used by the military and I believe both definitions apply here.

    Elizabeth

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  35. This is a beautiful telling of your journey, Sherry. I love how you're so connected with nature. It really resonates in your writing. It really is beautiful. I love stopping by for a visit. I'm always inspired :)

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  36. Very beautiful! It reminds me of a meditation! I wish mine were as enlightening ;)

    I love it!

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  37. Tears here, Sherry. Though I appreciate the reconciliation you find in the poetic valley, I stayed with this sense: "... like woolly scarves along the mountaintops, / like stunted wings." The valley is a trap with no walls, with warmth and God, but the wings still feel stunted. The soul knows that's just corporal being, but it provides a locus and meaning. So I feel the beauty of this poem. But it also lives on that knife's edge between fatalism and spiritual growth. I don't think anything is over, I'm not sure the wings are done.

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  38. there is much treacherous footing these days, isn't there? ~

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