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Eating the Light – Broken Mornings

Aside Athousandbitsofpaper11 Comments

Mother Nature draws a deep breath

Just before the sun peaks over the horizon

The cold air rushes in

Chasing the warmth away

And for those minutes, as she takes her breath

The quality of sound changes

The birds are silent

And then

A shaft of light

Strikes

If I close my sun warmed lids and breathe

The sunlight filters into my cranium

Filling my skull like the apse of a church is filled by the holy spirit of love

At a christening

The native Americans call this eating the sun

And so I breathe – eating light allowing it to smoulder throughout my being

Imagine it setting fire to the blood

Rushing throughout

Is this why the birds wait to sing?

For the light

It enters them

And it enters me

And then we all sing together

Mine is more of a hum

I’m not much of a singer

But the Magpie fills her chest and warbles with a clarity that should shatter glass

The Butcher Bird joins in

And I’m walking, listening, smiling, as the feathered folk hurl their anthem at the sky

A little hummmmm of a half remembered hymn upon my breath

For yes

Morning has indeed

Broken

I’m changing up my Instagram and adding more of my own photography when time allows. Find me here https://www.instagram.com/kate_duff_poetry/

11 thoughts on “Eating the Light – Broken Mornings”

  1. LOVE those pictures, Kate. They are so lovely. My daughter has a photography business on t he side (she teaches band) and is talented like you. I’m so jealous of your focus. I just can’t regain mine yet. I just lost another friend from college a week ago (one of my best friends drowned last summer) and my best friend from high school is in ICU — cirrhosis alcohol issues. Major drama with all her family and all and hard to say if she’s going to quit–she won’t live long if not. Been so hard to work. My health problems are improving, but Dad, now these latest things. Still, I have felt a bit more focused last few days from reading Jordan Peterson! I’m over half way through it. It’s so funny. My son emailed me and asked me if I’d ever hard of Jordan Peterson. He’s a huge fan now. He was halfway through the book. i am worried Jordan is not doing too well. His wife has kidney cancer and he and his daughter have been largely absent from their usual endeavors. He apparently went on some anti-depressant when his wife got sick and got really sick on it and trying to get off it. Really bad year for them all.

    Reply

    • Great to hear from you Lynn – I was beginning to get worried. Sounds like you have had very good reasons to lose focus. I’m sorry that sounds awful. Jordan Peterson – isn’t he great! So happy I spotted that quote on Lens blog and dug a little deeper. I’ve been enjoying JP’s take on things – so much sense! I passed his details along to a young poet in Melbourne that I was chatting to on Instagram so now he is reading him too. His ethos reassures me that despite insane pressure – freedom of speech will continue – at least for now. That’s terrible news about his family troubles.

      Reply

    • I think Jordan Peterson has recovered from the anti-depressants. His wife is also on the mend from cancer. I believe he’s hibernating away finishing his next book. Probably behind on his publishing deadline because of illness.

      Reply

      • The timeliest thing I could find from either of them was Mikhaila posting her opinion on the lockdowns. She was against them. She said the last year had been horrible, but didn’t give any other information about her folks. So I’m glad to hear things are better.

  4. Nothing like heat and sunshine. The only cure for life. That is one of my favourite songs:
    Morning has broken like the first morning
    Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
    Praise for the singing
    Praise for the morning
    Praise for them springing fresh from the Word

    Reply

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