Have you heard this news?
That mutual love is natural to us
and not resentment?
Can you think of what this means?
And did you hear this report?
That Love has an egg tooth and is breaking
up our shells and that there are some
already walking around like shining suns?
And have you heard that when you come to paint
your sky there are no wrong colours,
only the refusal to choose?
Have you heard that death is not a thing,
more like the absence of a thing,
like life lived unloved
or not noticing an iris?
Have you felt this?
That there is Love
that craves your consent
that you won’t be able
to resist much longer?
Did you hear about this discovery?
that we desire too little and not too much?
that our devouring everything is a symptom of that?
Can you imagine how this changes things?
Stephen,
There you’ve done it again. You’ve captured something in your amazing poem that has kinda rumbled around in my heart unformed… and now you’ve put a colour and beauty to it.
…no wrong colors for your sky
…death the absence of life lived unloved and not noticing an iris
…we desire too little not too much (didn’t C.S.Lewis also say that?)
THANK you!
Brenda
Great piece, Steve. As the Book says, “Perfect love drives out fear.”
Thank you so much Brenda. On desire: I’m not sure if CS Lewis said something like that but I’m pretty sure Sebastian Moore did.
Thanks Sam. Being highly imperfect I don’t completely understand that verse from the “Book,” but it has always sounded wonderful.
What Brenda said!
Life has been a bit hectic after returning from Qatar as I try to tie up the semester, surrounded by papers to grade, filled with words by students that I wish could write just 1% as well as you. Surrounded also by the stress of a high school senior applying to college (hearing that his equally smart peers are being turned down for early admission) and the excitement (or stress) that accompanies the holiday season. And then, of course, the string of disturbing news stories that are almost impossible to listen to anymore.
But today, I took a break — for several hours of birding on an unseasonably warm December day with my son and friends, for an afternoon to participate in a nature journaling workshop with new friends, and then to find and savor this poem — and I realize that I am indeed blessed to have beautiful people and their incredible words in my life.
Diane, you lead a global life. Very happy you balance that out with walking and bird watching. You are a blessing. Thank you for your kindness.
Powerful as preparation for celebration at Christmas. I am stimulated to desire More and devour less.
Ah Raymond, like the way you put that. Thank you.