Swirls and curls picking up detritus
along the way and setting it down
elsewhere, never mind human order;
this is our mother the earth, and she is
magnanimous and destructive
in turn;
Whether we worship gods or devas,
the dandelion parts with her seed
on the same howling winds
that scatter ashes of the dead,
and what seems random
is ransom for living amidst wonder
on this swirling blue marble
punctuated by our paltry presence;
History drums out repetition,
victories in battle interpreted as favor
of the gods while peaceful coexistence
is again bitten back on blistered lips
of the poor and downtrodden, laboring
in dusty fields to eke sustenance
for strapping sons sent off to fight
once and over again;
While the sun rises and sets,
virescent rivers flow and great grey
oceans surge, tides rocking giant beds
of glaucous kelp, rolling coral bones
along endless driftwood-encrusted
shorelines as certain as our next breath
until it’s not, and we fall to the knees
in supplication, seeking forgiveness
for our lack of attention, too busy
to notice beauty, mossy life wedged
in tiny fissures, puzzle pieces
of a baby’s granite skull
as the earth continues on
in perpetuity with or without us.
Beautiful poem.
Many thanks, Renee! 🌈❣️
Wondrous Bela 🌎
Mahalo, Val! 😘
Oh Bela, I love this so much. And those last few lines had me there, participating. Am going to keep this one. 💕
Betty, I am so glad. Your poetry does this to me as well – the ‘ahhhhhhhh.’ Thanks for that 😉
I think you’ve just about covered all of life’s mysteries here Bela in such a beautifully poetic way. And “whether we worship gods or devas … history drums out repetition … while the sun rises and sets … in perpetuity with or without us”. I think that about sums it up! We talk about mother earth being both magnanimous and destructive, but I wonder if she too is controlled by forces that we know nothing of…
Aloha, sweet Marie. I’ve done so much searching around what you mentioned, and of course none of us can ultimately know. But what I’ve come to is that the earth, those upon it, the universe and stars, all of it, all – is “god’ evolving. The nature of creation is that it’s never static, there is no final destination that I know of. And I think quantum physics would back me up in that regard. Control is such an ugly word in my world – it speaks of Patriarchy and entitlement. I know it’s a broader term than that, but that’s what it conjures, for me. I believe it’s a Patriarchal construct, not only a ‘human’ construct.
At any rate, dear one, I leave you with that because I know you are always ruminating and reflecting. Perhaps something deeper emerges for both of us, as a result of our exchanges. Blessings on the day! <3
I’m just grateful that we can have these exchanges. Whatever ‘it’ is that has made this possible (and I’m not talking about WordPress here):), can continue to remain a mystery for the time being. Blessings to you dear one!🌹🌈❤️
<3
Isn’t it amazing how mother earth changes her moods from loving, absorbing and giving goddess to the absolute opposite of what she is known for! Indeed our ‘paltry presence’ disturbs her beyond measure to transform into a devilish force…time and again she has proved her power to oust those who don’t respect her!
How beautifully and brilliantly you have summed up the relationship of mother earth with humanity! Love this poem Bela, one of your masterpieces.
Many thanks, Balroop 🙏🏽❣️
Another outstanding poem dear Bela, reflecting upon our world, the beauty and the pain, all of it entwined and mixed to make the whole.. I was watching the morning sky today here in the UK Bela.. She went black.. and I mean the clouds gathered and one half of the sky became quite dark, so much so, here in my home I had to turn on the lights.. The birds all flew into the nearby bushes, as they stopped feeding.. and an eerie silence could be felt rather than heard.. The wind got up and the flower heads started to sway.. No rain.. just dark clouds. Then within half an hour the clouds had moved on exposing another bright patch of white sky.
Nature is always showing us how through her light and dark shadows, that change is constant.. She is so Mighty, yet so serene. She brings us beauty and she can also bring us destruction.. We fail to respect her magnificence. And when we fail to see, she reminds us..
And whether we see or not… She is going to keep on growing and as you rightly said she will do so. ” With or without us ”
Beautiful Bela as is your photo xxx <3
What an amazing visual experience, Sue. And you arrive at a brilliant conclusion. That we notice such things binds us to Mother Earth in a way many simply cannot understand. Yet we are all children of the Universe. How long will it take for many to realize this, and how significant might this be is what I ponder, sometimes a bit unduly. Yet here our beautiful planet is, teaching, teaching all the time. And I do find comfort in that. Love to you on this beautiful weekend! ❤️💗😘
Thank you Bela.. I had a lovely weekend.. I gathered in my begonias before the frosts, They are now stored in the greenhouse.. to die back naturally so I can save the tubas.. And the Geraniums are all gathered in and re-potted too.. And I filled the tubs they came out of with my Spring Bulbs.. So a good day yesterday.. And to top it all I caught a hedgehog on my garden webcam.. Nature is Wonderful when we tune into her vibes and yes, she teaches all the time.. xxx
Begonias! Frost! We have begonias here that never die – it seems strange somehow. Also scented lilies, but only at much higher elevations than we reside at just now. They do need the cool season. And a hedgehog!! SOOO cute. Got a stuffed one for my daughter, she loves them so much! Chris saw them in Finland as a kid. Love <3
So do you not get any frosts where you live Bela? .. And yes. the hedgehogs they will soon be finding places to hibernate. <3
We DO get frosts at the higher elevations where basically nobody lives – the tops of the volcanic mountains, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. People live up to about 4500 ft elevation, which doesn’t see frost, per se. xoxo
That is interesting.. 🙂
A fine poem that speaks of truths many have yet to discover. Inspiring.
Thank you. 😊
Stupendous, quite stupendous wordsmithing and imagery evocation. I can’t pretend to be qualified to assess these things, but this is how it strikes me. I’m reading Virginia Woolf currently, and I get the exact same feeling there, the same question echoing without answer: how does she do it? H <3
Hariod, as always you are over the top in your praise of my work. If my heart ever needs a boost, I can always rely on you to provide it. 😘 Many thanks for that.
As for Virginia Woolf, I can totally understand how, in her time, she just couldn’t manage to continue living with the immense sensitivity and awareness she possessed. And yet surely her work is timeless; the impact of her words is no less today than it was when she wrote them. If anything, it is more.
Love to you on this still day here on Hawaii Island – ‘the calm before the storm’ kind of feeling. 💞
So many truths of life in these words, Bela. 🙂
Many thanks, Vidur <3
My pleasure, Bela!
“…rolling coral bones along endless driftwood-encrusted shorelines as certain as our next breath
until it’s not, and we fall to the knees in supplication, seeking forgiveness
for our lack of attention, too busy to notice beauty…” You steal my heart away, Bela, with these pearls of articulation. How beautifully and with organic flow of the right words you link the contrasts: “shorelines” as certain as our next “breath.” Outstanding!
Many thanks, Mahesh. Your feedback always warms my heart with your own ‘pearls of articulation.’ 🌊🐳😘
I’m honored 🙂 xo