Inside a pyramid, its reason:
A former king parched like a leaf
And now impervious to grief,
Bacilli, and a shift of season.
Dust of a million builders’ bones
Informs the wind with grit, lingers,
Then scrapes with unbelieving fingers
Familiar blocks of hand-hewn stone.
Thistledown woven
spider-net
abandoned nest
a cup
upturned
under the wrong tree
light as breath
hedge-fallen
gloveback
nature retrieves
her mess of twigs
grasses
meticulously
bit-by-bit
In wind
In liquid air.
September sea wind:
the fading exhalations
of the orca
He could not tell the way he came,
Because his chart was lost:
Yet all his way was paved with flame
From the bourne he crossed.
He did not know the way to go,
Because he had no map:
He followed where the winds blow,--
And the April sap.
He never knew upon his brow
The secret that he bore,--
And laughs away the mystery now
The dark's at his door.
Here I hear a footstep,
Its voice is grey and soft:
Is it that of a forgotten ghost ?
So, a rain-drop drops, ....
Yes, one, two, three.
Up in the sky there is a cloud,
Its sight is old as Earth :
Who says it is the passing soul ?
At my feet I see a falling leaf,
And the cloud is gone.
After the night wind blows
My soul follows to seek Rest :
Is the wind my mother lost ?
Under the robe of darkness and love
My heart throbs happily with bliss.
An empty cup whence the light of passion is drunk !-
To-day a sad rumour passes through the trees,
A chill wind is borne by the stream,
The waves shiver in pain ;
Where now the cicada's song long and hot ?
Into the homelessness of the sea I awoke :
Oh, my heart of the wind and spray !
I am glad to be no-man to-day
With the laughter and dance of the sea-soul.
Dip the song of the sea and wind,
Throw it into my heart of longing !
I like to be with the clan of the waters and air :
Oh, my soul of the sea-soul and surge !
Roll in the wonder of the heart and sea, —
Oh, my joy of the sea-soul and flash !
Gather all the lights of the wind and sea,
To guard against the blackest night.
Zephyr comes unaware,
And sings underneath my arms :
When it makes a sudden stop,
I will finish the song of its wandering soul.
Zephyr comes like a Beauty
Underneath my arms smiling, smiling.
She looks upon me, and says :
" Shall we hide us from birds and men under the roses ? "
Zephyr comes with doleful heart,
Sighing, sighing, underneath my arms.
I whisper a tale of a Life of Gold,
We fly into the Palace of the Sun.
To become tree-man,
Oh, songs given back by the winds !
What joy of no-man.
At eve,
By a grass-made hut,
The winds pass on.
Saying something to the rice-plant leaves.
I am knocking at the door of Life, —
Is nobody in?
Not the wise, quiet pine nor the amorous, blonde oak
Nor the tall, pale, lady elm tree,
But you, who came invisible in a magic cloak,
You, who were the wind, chose me.
I, the white little birch, who had stood alone, serene,
Content to listen and to stare —
And I never saw your hands that tore my veils of green.
Nor your lips that laughed in my hair.
You held me and kissed me, I knew your strength and grace
And dreams rose like sap in the spring.
I trembled as with buds, but I never saw your face,
I only heard you whispering.
So yawning and careless you went on to field and sea,
So here I am lonely and still —
Oh wind, wind, better to have broken me
Than leave me with roots in the hill.
Heart free, hand free,
Blue above, brown under,
All the world to me
Is a place of wonder.
Sun shine, moon shine,
Stars, and winds a-blowing,
All into this heart of mine
Flowing, flowing, flowing!
Mind free, step free,
Days to follow after,
Joys of life sold to me
For the price of laughter.
Girl's love, man's love,
Love of work and duty,
Just a will of God's to prove
Beauty, beauty, beauty!