A is for Atlas
In the Atlas and the desert
the stars twinkle and shine.
An innocent childhood. A far journey.
Tonight you break camp.
They fold the tents
and we move ourselves on
as moths by moonlight.
The caravan in the dark silence
is a journey into eternity
and the night is long.
Ride.
Walk.
Shield your eyes.
Think your thoughts.
Through the sea of sand
we wander to the next oasis
where we make fire.
Bake bread.
Sing our poetry.
Beat our drums.
By night the wind shapes the rocks.
The sand.
In grains our thoughts. Whispers in dreams.
Light is the heart of the night
when you say:
We still have a long way to go...
______
gw 2009
excellent one great to see you back
ReplyDeletejohn
Good to be reading you again G. I do hope this poem is about the desert (knowing your poetry I can't take something like that foregranted) - i am fascinated by the bedu culture and am always rereading Thesiger's Arabian Sands - my favourite book. I love the imagery of this poem of yours I find the whole poem exciting.
ReplyDeleteWell bloggy friend it looks as though you are going to miss the Hubble slide show, sending me that gobbledogook e mail address (unless it was gobbledogooked in cyberspace), Welcome back.
Nice to see you back. Light is the heart of the man who sees the truth in your last verse.
ReplyDeleteIn that curious way we are sensitised to what we're reading by what we have recently read or seen or heard, I just came across the following from Don Paterson and thought of the last lines of your poem again.
ReplyDelete"As soon as we become reconciled to the fact of the road and to no end of any kind... then we know something like serenity.
Good poem. I enjoyed reading it. (Is there a B "in the offing"?)
ReplyDeleteIt's so lyrical and beautiful.As I was reading it I could feel the serene, hopeful atmosphere imbued in each line. I particularly like the last two lines. A perfect ending for a perfectly beautiful literary piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks all: John, Weaver, Mairi, Dominic, lunardancer!
ReplyDelete