The mouth that speaks
the hand that writes
is explaining
And we are so very tired of the diatribe of armchair advice.
How do I become the mouth that listens
The ear that whispers
swallowing empty words as they arise
leaving space inside
for the tongue to be silent
the hand to rest
And the heart beat of this great land
to grace us with its presence
staring deeply into the moment
saying nothing
hearing everything
and delivering it to another with shining eyes
do you hear that too?
without writing
anything at all
just holding the threads of thrall
between us
I can’t
But you can too
And we will sit here us
with just these feelings
yes,
me too
This poem arose from an intuition I had for the sort of writing I wanted to piece together on my Substack account.
It is the sort of writing that asks “hey did you feel that too?” I hope so.
It’s a lovely piece that summons the heart as all of your work does, Kate! 💕
Thanks Cindy 💕
🩷
May the heart beat of this great land grace us with its presence,
May the mouth of the Mighty Murray flow free with our care
~~~~
Thanks for this verse,
which I’ll now reread…
Thankyou DD and yes may the might Murray flow free, I’ll be down that way in an endurance event later in the year – can’t wait to see this fabled river.
I hope you enjoy the event and the environment.
Cheers
I love “holding the threads of thrall
between us”!!
🫶💕 thanks Camilla
To perceive more & express less…hope I got it right 🫠
Absolutely and just to be still (which I ffind difficult) 😊
I like it Kate. May is the perfect month for THAT.
Certainly is Selma 💕
Kate, this really moved me—”the ear that whispers / swallowing empty words” struck me as both tender and true. It feels like an invitation to sacred stillness.
Much love,
David
That it is David, an invitation to just be. Difficult to do in Poetry, I’m glad it crossed the barriers of explanation.
Sometimes, listening is so important than speaking. This poem speaks our senses that are impactful. Interesting, Kate
Thanks Hazel, the urge to explain and inform runs deep in writing, it’s difficult to simply “show” and “be” with poetry – particularly in written poetry.
You’re most welcome, Kate. Yes, for me, poetry sounds complex to understand, in my comprehension level.