wrens and robins skirmishing about the house
and honeysuckle in December flower,
sunlight reaching warm fingers across the frost,
tree roots digging deep,
stream-babble.
Listen to the tread of your feet,
stop in the silence,
watch what falls, what rises.
This world washed clean of fear of what is not,
is the world that lives, says the earthworm.
Let the dead hang on their trees,
hide in their seabound caves, tossing fire and plague
or magic words to hold back floods.
Look deep and high,
bird-see,
hare-listen,
sniff the air.
Believe in fingers delved into loose earth
that find the only truths.
Worms are the beginning and the end;
forever bites the tail of never.
Know this,
accept, and live
in bright bird-sweep.
For the earthweal challenge. I didn’t invite anyone in particular, but an earthworm invited itself, and the Oracle whispered without being invoked.
‘Let the dead hang on their trees,
hide in their seabound caves, tossing fire and plague
or magic words to hold back floods.’
I can’t help but feel you are referring to us foolish humans…
You could be right. Hoping that some supernatural superhero is going to sort it all for us.
It is only fitting for an earthworm to invite itself to an earthweal challenge, Jane! He has the right idea too, about a ‘world washed clean of fear of what is not’. I love the riot of birds and December honeysuckle in the opening lines, the wonderful sound of ‘stream-babble’, and that hopeful final line of ‘bright bird-sweep’.
Thanks Kim. At the risk of offending some sensitive souls, I admit to relegating all religious superstition from whatever epoque to the dump bin of psychotwaddle. I believe in earthworms though.
Me too!
There are some great lines in this. I particularly like “forever bites the tail of never.”
Thanks Suzanne. My beliefs are very simple, to take care of what is, and stop worrying about imaginary stuff that isn’t.
Good idea.
🙂
Great imagery and truths woven together. Reminds me of a dream I once had about earthworms…
I hope it was a good dream 🙂 Thanks Alethea!
Very beautiful poetry ❤️
I’m pleased you like it 🙂
❤️💖💝
Such vivid images and lines–and there is definitely truth in birds and earthworms–and the Oracle’s whispers.
I think so. More than in any mumbo-jumbo humanity has ever thunk up on its own.
Fabulous poem. I love your choice of words, the variation in line length and the way the poem flows down the page and the imagery is superb.
Thank you! I’m pleased you enjoyed it. I try for clarity, to keep the images separate, and the lines reflect pauses or breaks.
I remember as a child digging up worms just to watch them dig back in. There’s a lesson there, and not only about letting your children get their hands dirty. (K)
My memories are a bit more macabre, watching my dad digging and how the worms were cut clean in two. They didn’t seem to mind, but then kids are tough when it comes to the suffering of others.
The noble earthworm. ’bout time they got some recognition! Nicely done, Jane.
Thanks Lisa. There are fewer and fewer of them about. We should take better care of them.
I treat the ones around here very well. Lots of scraps for compost, no chemicals or poisons, it’s lowland so stays pretty wet, and I save them from the driveway in heavy rains.
Round here it depends what the farmers have put on the fields. They claim not to dose them too much but the earthworms don’t like it.
And earthworms shall suffer no psychotwaddle.
for the untwaddled shall inherit the holes in the earth.
I love your poetry so much! I especially love “bird-see, hare listen, sniff the air” and “live in bright bird-sweep.”
Thank you, Sherry! I think we have a similar world view 🙂