At Lake Lucerne - August 2018 Poem by Daniel Brick
At Lake Lucerne - August 2018
for Kathinka
The day began as if it had
no promises to keep:
the morning sky frowned
over a darkened lake shore.
The air was chilled
by the early departure
of summer, and the only
warmth resided in human hearts.
The day began as if it had
no gifts to give or receive:
Song-birds were reluctant
to sing, and withdrew into
their leafy sanctuaries.
Forest creatures stayed seep
within the shelter of trees,
matching their movements to the stillness.
You paused, leaning against
a rock, and meditated, eyes closed,
and an invisible door opened.
When you opened your eyes,
two huge swans were next to you.
They were combing their feathers,
slowly, majestically. And when they spred
their wings, they almost touched you.
How close you came to flight
at that moment. How close to thought
they came at that moment. You
and the two swans shared a moment
of union as you mingled your live
into the larger life of nature.
An invisible door had opened, and
neither animal nor human has closed it.
In this poem the passageway to transcendence is horizontal...but since the sphere of being is expanding, a gain in verticality will be included. The beauty of not making promises is that horizontal and vertical no longer matter. Anytime we turn a corner of thought, there is a chance to find that once-obscured portal waiting for us. Your poem does a good job of setting the scene....AS IF the day HAD NO GIFTS TO GIVE.
The connection between humans and nature is stronger than we can imagine. Though nothing seems to happen here, no drama, no war, just a routine day with nothing striking or unusual about it, but a lot is happening inside, a spiritual shift, that is lost upon the eyes. A poetic gem.
I enjoyed this poem, Daniel. The first two stanzas describe a placid scene with muted expectations for the day. The image of the swans and the woman stands out from that setting and the connection between her and the birds is beautifully drawn at the start of the final stanza. In the final line you leave the reader with the thought that the beauty of such a moment lingers, and that applies to the poem too.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
4/30/2024 9:07:09 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Daniel, this reminds meof a moment years ago when, quite angry, I set out on a long walk from our house to Embudo Canyon. I got to the stream that emerges from it by early afternoon and sat down by it. How long it was I don’t remember, much or most of my anger dissipated, when I looked up to see close by a deer drinking from the stream. As you can imagine, an uplifting moment. Be well, brother! -Glen