I leave the universe of silence
When I open my eyes
Take in the dawn
Light and listen
For those cues that say
It is time; come outside.
I listen for the moment:
A woodpecker taps breakfast
From a rotting tree
One blue jay scolds another
Just because he does
A crow announces a death
Warm and compliant in the road.
I go. I walk. I watch. I listen.
Sound carries me a mile from bed
To a swamp vibrating with the voices
Of red winged blackbirds
And Canada geese.
None of this is music.
It is the language of the treetops and sky.
It shapes my life,
Takes my walk,
Sends me back again
Though I hardly understand.
One Single Impression
54 Comments
Oh, Sandy, I've enjoyed this post! Great the poem and so nice the picture!
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend!
Maybe that's God's plan that you don't understand so you will keep searching for answers and enjoying His handiwork more and more. What a gift!
ReplyDeletei loved imbibing this beauty.
ReplyDeleteHats off to YOU, Poetess!
Aloha from the islands-
I understand your listening habits.
ReplyDeletethe stories of the trees are always interesting... even if they are told in silence.
ReplyDeletethere's a thought that the reason why we have two ears and one mouth is because
ReplyDeletewe have to listen twice before we speak
isnt amazing?
thanks for sharing
have a great day and happy blogging
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had your talent to write poetry like you can!
I felt I was there on the walk, listening to the woodpecker, the wind and the sky: a beautiful moment this morning! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI felt I was there on the walk, listening to the woodpecker, the wind and the sky: a beautiful moment this morning! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat picture Sandy.. I at first thought it was lightening.. the poem is very good as well. I really feel a benifit when stopping by here... there is always something to make stop and think.
ReplyDeleteOh Sandy, this is absolutely one of my favs of yours. I am with you right there hearing all of these sounds and seeing all of these sights. Marvelous.
ReplyDeletelovely photo-the blue branches are mysterious-the words of your poem just fit.
ReplyDeleteLoved it Sandy! So much about this walk of life that we don't understand-but we just keep getting pulled forward one step at a time.
ReplyDeleteI love the bare tree branches!
ReplyDeleteVery peaceful, both the poem and the colour of the branches!
ReplyDeleteLoved this poem, absolutely Sandy :)
ReplyDeletewalkong, silently watching it all...I so love it :)
wishes,
devika
Oh Sandy, this is one of my favorites you have written. I love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely moment spent in nature. Great take on the prompt Sandy!
ReplyDeleteHugs, G
You seem to have an incredible way of putting my life into words! ;)
ReplyDeleteI think this is my fave of those you've written -- maybe because it's been a while since I've been here? Who knows. You've titled it "Listen", I call it Spring.
Beautiful, as always.
I love it! I love waking up to the sounds of birds, or heck, even rain. It all calls me outside. :)
ReplyDeletehi sandy thanks for dropping by at my site i appreciate it so much
ReplyDeletei just put your link in my blog roll at my main blog so i can visit you here again
have a great day my friend and happy blogging
LOL I just noticed we have the same entrecard ad today.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, love your poem! It makes me want to go out and listen to the trees the breeze and the night...
hello just dropping by here again have a great day and happy blogging
ReplyDeletewow... thats a good different concept. and loved the words! :)
ReplyDeleteA great commune with nature.
ReplyDeleteLearning to listen to the world around us, and not what's bouncing around in our head ... is the greatest gift of all. Not all have it!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! It seems we are both listening to the sounds of the swamp today, Sandy!
ReplyDeleteThis wonderful expressive description evokes Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine for me - the opening part where the young boy awakes and realizes that he has the gift of life.
ReplyDeleteI loved being taken along on your walk! Sometimes understanding the language only gets in the way.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photo! an electric evening~!~
ReplyDeleteWow. You have a real gift, Sandy.
ReplyDeleteThis vibrted for me..
ReplyDeletescotch-taped
Very evocative, brings the reader fully into the moment both visually and auditorily (is that a word??). I like the lines:
ReplyDelete"A crow announces a death/Warm and compliant in the road."
Seen and heard lots of crows announcing road kill!
It is good to listen to the sounds of life with ears, eyes and heart.
ReplyDelete.."I leave the universe of silence_
ReplyDelete..the language of the treetops and sky "_
the wonderful imagery becomes a metaphor for life..
life _that we "hardly understand"_
-lovely..many thanks..
There is a meditation technique based on following sound. I think there should be one based entirely on birdsong. It takes so long to go, but the outside is always available and brings us inside to our selves. Nice poetic reflection.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was listening with you to the nature sounds. Lovely as always.
ReplyDeleteSandy, this reminded me of some of Mary Oliver's poems. Very very nice.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to look at life and thank you for letting us glimpse your world!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy, I am glad you walk. Your verse makes me feel I am in your shoes right along with you. Just listening, looking, and feeling my way along.
ReplyDeleteI ran before my back was injured, it was soooooo refreshing, being alone breathing and meditating. I did a lot of listening too. I loved to run in the rain.
Now I have to walk, Adi (my beagle dog) and I walk quite a bit. Doctor says go two miles and we do, and more.
..
Sandy--
ReplyDeleteReally liked going on your walk with you!
And, I hardly understand, either. Mostly don't understand nuthin, no how.
This is astounding! Special and superb!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this. A lot.
ReplyDeleteYou put your heart and soul into this one Sandy .. not saying you don't with other poems .. but this one is far reaching --- take you there and back, and still understanding eludes us. But that's the beauty of life ... to understand some, but not all -- to keep on living in spite of it.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem!
ReplyDeleteMarvelous words put together and wonderful images.
ReplyDeleteyou write well. so beautiful to reflect on.
ReplyDeletesuch a joyful read !!
ReplyDeleteSandy,
ReplyDeleteIt 'sounds' like you live in the same kind of place I do, Canada geese and red-wing black birds. Actually, I think I hear them now!
Very nice!
Some things are beyond understanding, and some just don't need to be understood. I get this same impression every morning when I'm out with Tonka. And I wonder if he understands the language, or if he's just as clueless as I am.
ReplyDeleteSpeaks of a lovely experience with this world. Something inside me feels peace from reading this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting a name to it. I was out in the woods this morning, just listening.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful walk. Don't worry they can't understand you either and yet we all live together.;)
ReplyDeleteVery nicely written Sandy- it evokes so many images...who needs an alarm clock when you have nature? -
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.