Their qualities aren’t easy to describe, and the following may seem pretentious:
I heard a silent noise
and saw the white of night
as my mind was shot inaudibly
with rays of pitch-black lightA glowing darkness covered me
and filled my blinded sight
with quiet sounds of roaring calm
— a moment’s release from fright
It may all be a little too dramatic, for the intensity of meditation is quite low-key. That’s also the reason why I dropped the following two lines:
At the top of my muted voice
I cried with no sound at all
They sound good, but aren’t really true — if truth is a guideline to go by in poetry.
Lots of oxymorons :)
i am sure many of us can relate with it. and the last 2 lines also maybe not in meditation but sometimes an outcome/after effect of it…..
i too find them perhaps a bit too dramatic, but still interesting.
who is the poet?
Oh the poet? I think you know him. But I’m too shy to tell you.
By the way, I’d like to change the last line to:
“in a moment free from fright”
It is interesting poetry, Halvor. Feels like it was composed in one of those three week retreats. I specially like the lines ‘with quiet sounds of roaring calm, in a moment free from fright’. There is a very palpable quiet intensity to the poem, which I relate to. I look forward to more poetry from you!
Thank you, Kaif. I should also mention that my student Ann Kunish helped me in the process.
I was reading the poem ‘Auguries of Innocence’ by William Blake and it reminded me of your poem. They both have a fascinating, magical quality to them. Here’s the first stanza.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour
Dear Kaif, After this very (perhaps overly) encouraging comparison to William Blake I am tempted to try more poetry. So I’ll be back!