Unfolding-- to Dust | Teen Ink

Unfolding-- to Dust

September 16, 2011
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran


I

One morning when I unfolded
This was what I heard
In the fabric of a prayer shawl
From the hymnal of a bird

From the wolves was lamentation
From the serpent—a weeping sound
From the butterfly—a battle cry!
And the howling of a hound
In the silence I heard the answer
To God’s questions unto Job
In my breath I heard the broken sigh
When Joseph quit his robe
I heard the madmen settling down
I heard the scholars rail
Said the beggar “I am able”
Said the giant “I am frail”
I heard the rustling olive branch
Amid the whistle of the dove
Said the monarch “Here—your freedom”
Said the cynic “I’m in love”

II

One morning when I unfolded
This is what I beheld
In the streaming of the sunbeams
And the oceans as they swelled

I saw the canyons perish
I watched the rivers dry
The LORD re-writing history
In the corner of his eye
I glimpsed the Resurrection
I saw the kingdom come
I envisioned a modern exodus
And living martyrdom
The clouds performed a cosmic dance
The waters, in tune, did part
Through the ribcage of a ghost
I read a transparent heart
I saw the sages sorrowful
And the poets overjoyed
The stars with solemn voices
Stumbling into the void

III

One morning when I unfolded
This is what I felt
As the angels beckoned “come to us”
And the Summer whispered “melt”

I felt a certain sadness
But could not trace the source
Was it the grievance of the righteous man?
Or the wicked man’s remorse?
Then I felt a certain happiness
And knew from whence it came
The smile on my lover’s face
The healing of the lame
Laughter rippled through the air
Oh the ash of sacred fire
To heaven—dying men return
To life—we all retire
A caress, a kiss, a warm embrace
And I was swept away
By the fluidity of time and space
And the nakedness of day

IV

In honor of what came to pass
And all that is untold
I pray that we may sit quite still
To watch the world unfold


The author's comments:
This was a tricky poem indeed. It was born in my mind on a windy September night with the full moon as my guide, but its form was so delicate that I didn't know how to care for it. Whenever I went inside to write it down, it seemed to dissolve into the air, as if it was only supposed to exist as raw thought. Nevertheless, I captured the vapor, and here is the poem you asked for without knowing it.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 21 comments.


on Sep. 23 2011 at 9:47 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This is beautiful!  This also really helped me because I've been struggling with some faith issues lately.