I drink the silence.
The full moon wears the clouds
like a boater cocked and jaunty,
spreads light upon the tattered snow
torn by the sun’s casual taunts.
The finest diamonds adorn
the wind’s fingers that rake the clouds.
Night finds me in the mountains.
brown earth folded
plate greets plate and the bones
of the Pan-Gaea thrust upward
hands in prayer. Continents
beseeching with hosannas and lava
flow as the earth wears its age
at glacial pace. Ice age to Ice age,
from the time of dinosaur to meteor
splash, the age of man,
the mountains still pray.
The seas cycle the tears
back to the snow capped caprice
that I can see from my tor. Watch
the moon cavort with stars across
these ridge backed dreams, deeply
night capped for the winter’s sleep.
Wind, born deep in caverns, twists
its way between shivering birches,
chattering aspens, howls stories
about the ache of glaciers held at bay.
Winter’s fools gold: beauty in ice
burns deep without giving birth to flame.
These mountains call me.
The deciduous barren trunks,
spikes, in the snow giving way
to the promise of spring found
in yew and firs that climb the slopes
Rivers, still fast beneath the ice, wait
to burst free with spring’s glee when
the snows melt and run fast down
the sides of stone, drinking the salt
of memories and dance with trout.
The moon falls from the sky into the peaks
where the caves will crystalize the light.
Deep in the heat of mother earth, the seasons
will exchange hands and the mountain will
share the bounty with pumas, golden --
owls will snatch hares turned back to gray
and the greater reaches of the tumult of prayer
will sit silently with their forever winter
watching over the riot of life beneath them.
01/28/08
1:20 AM
Massanutten, VA
In a list
Please tell me what you think, what it makes you feel, how you are moved.
Comments
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You take us to the mountains and show us your view of life. A feeling of "free" pervades within your words and heart setting the scene with crisp breathes of expectation. The allure of the mountains has captured your imagination and allowed you to be one with nature in spirit.
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It is part of this visionary experience to be both set free and held to the heart. It started late at night or early in the AM in the open air of the fields below the mountain looking at the snow and feeling the mountain breathe inside of me. Thanks for sharing the pleasure you found here.
Peace & Light,
Tom B,
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Wow what a beautiful write, wonderful imagery and emotion within. I love to escape to the mountains it is so quiet and peaceful where one can reconnect with one's self. Beautiful poem. Niaish for sharing
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I listened when I went on vacation and this is what was spoken. Thanks for enjoying it and taking the time to share that pleasure with me.
Love, Tom B.
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beauty of nature, lovely imagery, and wisdom found in this...breathtaking to say the least. love the silence ~blessings always~ Trisha~
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I was on vacation at Massanutten near Harrisonburg, VA. I was walking outside late at night under a full moon. The mountain looming, the snow on the ground and nothing moving. I listened down deep where the heart sips the waters of peace and this arose. Sometimes creation requires nothing but listening to the heart of the world.
Thanks for enjoying my solilique.
Love, Tom B.
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To be among such beauty and richness, a banquite for the soul.Your words caress my heart so softly and pulls a sigh from deep with in...These Mountains call me!
You my MasterPoet have held me spell bound with the wonderful pictures your words have penned...Niaish for taking me on this beautiful journey with you:
I DRINK THE SILENCE
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I shared this because of the silence. Modern man lives in such noise that even his music reflects it. It is more about the clash then the idyllic harmony. He creates more noise to ensure he is heard admidst the din.
It takes leaving the urban cultures, traveling past the noise of highways and lights to a simpler place, where the words are no longer necessary and sound is not a clutter but an awakening to another where none had been before. Here too many defenses, too much noise will get you killed or destroy what is around you.
Each universe makes its demands. We are fools if we think we are bigger than our environments. We can think outside the box all we want, but all we do is create a bigger box. Instead if we focus on how to show respect for the box we are in, we can bringing a greater level of sanity to the dance we preform in this world.
Love, Tom B. -
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tomisb
And so is the way of the true Silence...flowing from Earth Mother to the heart of the Man that will listen...
niaish my MasterPoet for sharing your wisdom with us all
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Wisdom is an easy word to use for knowing what the world and the One would teach. But information is not wisdom and I have a long way to go to be wise. I am only opening the door again to the things I knew as a child. I let my fears and my arguements rule me for too long and only since I was forty have I begun to return to what would be taught in the silence of the spirit. It is sad that what little I know is considered a gift when there is so much more to be understood. Thanks for listening and treating my small bit as gold.
Love, Tom B.
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Niaish Ma eno from all your Children, breautiful richly painted imagery decorates your words of nature throughout. Bravo, a much enjoyed piece. Kindest thoughts and wishes, Anna-Marie.
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I posted this because of Tender wolf's quote about being silent. In a world where noise is a constant, we make noise out of self defense, become afraid of its abscence.
I am glad you enjoyed this visit to the mountains. It is a gift to my heart and I am glad to be able to share it.
Love, Tom B.
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The beauty of the mountains, their changing seasons and the wild life they sustain - such a painting with words for us all to see. Niaish my friend for sharing this painting of nature with me.
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this was a vision I had on vacation at Massanutten in the Blue Ridge Mountains. May it sustain you as it has sustained me.
Love, Tom B.
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beautiful
It made me long to be there. Experieincing the touch of the world on my entire being. My soul longs for the peace and tranquility depicted here. Thank you again for such a beautiful poem.with love... jess
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I walked the grounds beneath in the shadow of the higher mountains. I listened to the silence and tried to speak about what was shared in my silence. it is easier to be present when away from all the chatter and light of the suburbs and the metropolitan back drop of DC.
Thanks for enjoying the peace I was able to share in this poem. I am honored that it touched you.
Love, Tom B
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This is another journey of the soul...
I don't know of another poet who can paint
quite like you. Thank you for this entry.
Love, Lane
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I work with what I get. Truly all I do is be present
Love, Tom B.
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What a tremendous vision you lay before me in this write, Tom. It is the way I have felt in recent days, and could not begin to speak with the eloquence that you do in capturing eons and winter.
The cycles of winter feel perpetual, and I become inconsequential as I read this. I'm shivering at the icy glow of winter permeating your images of glacial beauty, water, and mountain pinnacles...life moving among all of it, and Spring waiting for her door to open... Word paint extraordinare!
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All we can do at times is remember, "this to shall pass"
I was blessed on my brief weekend holiday with the vision late the second night I was there. It gained a few more words and critical changes when I got home. It manages to make me long to live more in the moment as I go through my days but it does not always work that way. A wife, a child and a house in the midst of changes make for a world that has little peace as you well know.
Love,
Tom B.
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Awe
With such elaborate depiction, this poem could make anyone love and appreciate the beauty of the great outdoors. You've painted a beautiful picture with words. I was captured from start to finish. I adore being a part of nature and being stuck indoors right now, you took me with you from glorious mountain top to deep caves.
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Thanks for enjoying this poem so much and taking the time to share it with me.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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"spreads light upon the tattered snow
torn by the sun’s casual taunts."
My favorite linee...just beautiful.
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Glad you enjoyed my glimpse of the snow on the Appalachians.
Love, Tom B.
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Out of the shadows stands a man, full of life that tranformed into a heavenly scrib. You spoke in you mind and the mountains seem to sing back to you in this write. Thats what I felt, words of love, nature both salted & peppered to perfection. The whole last verse rocked my soul....My dynamic PoetMan. Write ON! When I voiced these words loud even my son watching TV came to ask me what I was reading, and I started over and he said..AWESOME!...excellent writing Tom..........................Novy
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I admit that this poem grew into more than even I recognized. I guess it comes from going to the mountains and just listening.
Love, Tom B.
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This poem is amazing it seems you feel what's beyond on earth.I like it a lot thanks for sharing.
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When you listen, in the moment, to the world beyond your mind, it comes. Thanks for taking the time to share how this touched you. Love,Tom B.
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This is so beautiful. Your vocabulary was like a melody and I almost could sing the poetry. I adored your prose.
Love, Black-Moon -
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This was part of an arc of poems from my stay in the mountains. Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Tom B.
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Wow, it's rare that I read something quite like this. You have truly captured the beauty of the earth while also reflecting what the earth once was. Some of your images were absolutely intriguing. The one that stands out in my mind the most was the one about the bones of Pangaea crushing together as praying hands--that floored me! Whoa! That image just kept coming back to me throughout the whole poem. You have done some really magnificent things here. Rivers drinking salt, and moons falling from the sky. . . what brilliant, abstract descriptions. An incredible poem. Thanks for sharing it.
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I worked really hard to get the image right without over stressing it or making what appears obvious to me too obvious, if that makes sense. The rest just developed in the course of getting it written. Almost as if the earth guided my vision. I am honored and touched to receive such a strong compliment. Thank you.
Love, Tom B.
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This is so rich. The first line was powerful enough to stand alone. It spoke volumes... silence. Hope that the days worries vanish within the silence. Why is silence so loud? One of the worlds wonderous mysteries. I love this. Beautifully spoken.
love,
Mel
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Quiet, silence are not empty. When we lay down our tools -- mind, analysis -- and allow ourselves to "be" beyond all the chatter and ego aquisitiveness, we flourish and create untold possiblity. In this space we change the worlds conversation and experience of reality.
Love, Tom B.
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The moon falls from the sky into the peaks
where the caves will crystalize the light.
Very visual...there was much more that I liked, but this one was best..
The mountains are indeed majestic..everyday they change..we live in a valley, 4600ft..in the Santa Rosas..I have to say, I always thought I needed to live by the ocean...nahhh..when you see mountains change ten different colors, every day when the Sun comes up, the ocean suddenly seems so colorless..
The mornings are always cool, even in the hottest part of the summer..I've even been fortunate enough to spot three long horned sheep..wow!
Every morning, there's a benediction, in my sky..in the air..these mountains do speak, and you can hear them, but only if you listen..
This was the "peace" I needed, to get to sleep...
Best of luck to you, friend
Ji
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Jin what can I say to your comment but thanks. You have caught so perfectly the gift that I wanted this poem to be and are so full of the mountains yourself.
Love, Tom B.
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Ahhh, good Sir,
You are in the hills I call home. Look 30 minutes to the south and here I am. Moved here to the valley 10 years ago, yet it has always been home.
You portray our mountains' majesty so well.
I enjoyed this thoroughly.
Good Luck
Buddy
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I have always found I could feel the age of the Appalachins and the wisdom and strength they carry. The are the spine that carries the fields of ohio and the grapes of Va in their grasp. It is an incredible experience to hike the Appalachian Trail in VA and feel the mountains speak to your soul. But I am sure you know much of this. Thanks for sharing with me.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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Often there is a place where we feel born again, each year you go to the mountains and the snow and ice surround you but your release from the life of chores and work makes you able to see the beauty and peace in it all, you convey it so well. Love, C
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You are wise in understanding, vacation for me is a time of being and a celebration of oneness. Glad you could hear it so clearly in my words. Thank you. Love, Tom B.
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Hi Tomis ~
Rich in Imagery, painted strokes of balanced words echo, yet silence is tranquil throughout ~
I can not critique such a Gem as this, as it would not be appropriate in the calmness you have shared ~
I could swear this is a painting I was going to purchase the other day :)
Nice job my Friend,
....the best to you and your entry,
Bear ~
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When I am vacation, I do not try to go do a whole lot of stuff. I instead try to become one with where I am, listen deep to the world and its songs for me to heed. I attempt to share this and it is good to find that you have heard. It feels like the gift is in the sharing far more than any where else.\
Love, Tom B.
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Very rich in sensual perception. I feel the majesty of the mountains and it's celestial canopy as well as a reverence toward our maker as ancient as this earth. A beautiful celebration of life entwined within all of it's manifestations...
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Thanks Marcia, I am glad you could feel how close and personal all this grandeur is. It is good to be alive and breathing the mountains into my heart.
Love, Tom B.
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Excellent, especially the lyricism and unexpected image-shifts in the first couple of stanzas. I enjoyed particularly the foray into prehistory--something I like to do as well.
The piece really demonstrates a new (to me, at least) sense of control, of clarity, of purpose in your poems. It is spoken-level diction, but not flatly colloquial; language is still art, but it is accessible art that seeks to enfold rather than obscure. Very well done, and good luck with the contest.
Michael
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I am often torn between the percise analytical qualities of Wallace Stevens and the lyrical explosive sensuality of Neruda. I love the imagery of Rambeau and Baudalaire. But, I am none of these. I am learning that I have learned much from all of these poets as well as Dylan Thomas and Walt Whitman but this is not what I am as a poet. I write to read aloud, I never seek obscurity for the sake of obscurity, though I have found my experiences often leave others befuddled. I want to herald, trumpet and speak of the grandeur I experience, but rarely do I want to gild the lily or be more than simply articulate. The journey has been long and hopfully it will continue for greater length.
I appreciate the comments. When someone has the wealth of knowledge and experience such as yourself, it gives me a greater vision and helps to focus my eyes so they are less myopic and tunes my heart so it plays more in key with my goals. Thank you.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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'plate greets plate and the bones
of the Pan-Gaea thrust upward
hands in prayer."
serene... tranquil... spiritual...
I especially love the above portion, although you use the word "upward" once more in the line preceding those three and the repetition of that particular word, I find a bit awkward, and I especially love the way in which this piece concludes...
there is a kind of rolling/tumbling sensation that I get from this piece that reminds me of lovers, playful but kind of intense both - all at once... I think that this one will require another read from me...
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Energetically, all that is , a lesson for us to learn as we see all that we are repeated around us. Do we heed? rarely. We tend to remake the world to be the reflection of our fears. What once was majestic is flattened and the skyscraper in its place has no life of its own. We call it a monument to all that man is. Excuse me if I would like to be a whole lot more.
Love, Tom B.
PS. Thanks for the editorial note. All help is always greeted with joy.
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You have the most delicious way with words. I could feel the changes that have happened over centuries through your words. Then you bring it to now, when spring is right around the corner. I can't think of another poem that could use the prompt as well as you just did! I so love the mountains, and truly miss my home there, and the home we had on the Finger Lakes in Canada. Well done, my friend and poet!
Love, Shana
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I feel the energy and let it talk to me. I really don't know another way to say it. Glad you enjoy the way the mountains share themselves with me.
Love, Tom B.
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