I like for you to be still;
mindless chatter
makes my head hurt.
I prefer to listen to bees,
and the small sound the hummers make
when they dive-bomb the nasturtiums.
I like for you to be still.
At the shore, there are wave-songs,
joyously singing melodies
I need to hear.
They say, if you are quiet, and listen,
you can hear ants singing by rubbing
their back legs together.
I have been listening ever since
for their song.
In the forest, there is a symphony
of leafsong and summer breeze,
the timpani of light raindrops on salal.
But you have to be silent
to hear the sweet sounds
of nature at her work.
One must still one's heart
to notice the sky
casting a benign, bemused glance
upon we earthlings,
as we scurry about like demented ants
on a landscape longing for repose.
A poem from 2019 based on the title of Neruda's poem "I Like for You to be Still". Shared at earthweal's open link.
This poem has a good message. It is good to be still and listen to the sweet sounds of nature.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to think of ants singing. It would be good if human ants sang as they rushed about. :) Suzanne - Mapping Uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteThat lead line is almost instruction from the Elders, the daughters of the sidhe, the shaman in the tree. And what earish we are taught here. I pause in my early morning walk beneath a great camphor tree to listen fully to late night silence. It hymns. Thanks Sherry -- B
ReplyDeleteI must listen for the ant song
ReplyDeleteWow. This is superb. I will remember it tomorrow when I will do what you command. I’ll be still and listen.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem.
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ReplyDeleteScurrying about like demented ants on a landscape longing for repose...brilliant line A great description of human lives. This line would be a great prompt for a poem...I would like to use it with your permission
ReplyDeleteSeems we are both listening to the music of the earth this week, Sherry. That image of humans as 'demented ants' seems sadly appropriate.
ReplyDeleteIf only we would be still, we could hear the songs of nature and experience a bit of peace in the world. To hear the ants song one must raise their consciousness to another plane of existence. I will be listening.
ReplyDelete