Still the Sun
A Walking Elegy for the "Somewhere Between Here and There" Challenge, part of the Vocal+ Summer Writing Series.
the hill where I stood
and waited for reason
to come in its season
~
looking upon the world
with a warring sense
of unease and hope
~
...what was it Thomas said?
"old age should burn
and rave at close of day"
~
are we destined to live
and die, walk the line
and fall at the final post?
~
triviality of existence should never
be trivialised, yet,
it should never be overanalysed
~
or given the same fretted concern
as you would something more important
the sum of the parts — the journey
to death from our emergence from
the loins of our mothers
~
I set out on this walk
when I started, I don't know,
to descend into the denser woodland
~
deciduous greenery arching over me,
branches and limbs
crossing the paths to take me captive
~
their attempts reigniting
my sense of purpose — my sense of
anything other than just the ordinary
~
the mundanity that echoes and mirrors
the mundanity of so many others
on this corporeal mortal course
~
I recall my own previous encounters
on the road with worn and weary travellers
each of which offered both profound sage wisdom
and words that amounted to nothing
but plateau platitudes
~
I keep as my mantle,
as my creed,
the words of Cummings:
"nothing which we are to perceive in this world
equals the power of your intense fragility"
~
that weakened state — the state
of human decline
from the moment we crown to the final breath —
is not actually a weakened state
it's a call to make or break,
to do or not do,
to can or can't...
~
and still the sun...
~
...is high above our shared skies
and it brings a smile to my crestfallen face
though the birds glide, sing, feast and squawk
and, yes, it raises my spirits a little higher
~
I can't help but see the dark cloud, the void
just there in the distance (pointing forward)
(pointing towards the horizon)
(the horizon where night is prepared to order)
~
the void is ever present, and any pretence
that it isn't, or that bright days, sunshine
and the song of the birds can delay or disguise
is a painfully vain exercise
~
in taking the mundane and fighting the electric —
the electric emotional turmoil of the blackness
the blackness we all must face, fall to, or fail
fail to gain mastery...
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: This is for the "Somewhere Between Here and There" Challenge as part of the Vocal+ Summer Writing Series. It references Dylan Thomas's powerful villanelle, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," and E.E. Cummings's beautiful, "somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond." For additional reference, it contains a poem that was not accepted by Rattle Poetry.
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Paul Stewart
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Comments (20)
Woo hoo!! Congrats on placing Runner-Up on the Somewhere Between Here and There Challenge, Papa Paul!! A classic hauntingly beautiful piece of yours!! Well deserved win here!
Another chipper piece! I like how you’ve referenced Dylan Thomas etc in your piece. Congrats on your prize Paul! ☺️🎉
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
What a crunchy poem, Paul. So full of texture, complexity, and deeply human questions. I love how nothing is answered, yet there's a coaching of the speaker (by himself) to resist that urge, to just be...and I feel it's perfect for the challenge. I am properly glad to see you on the list of winners. Congratulations, my friend!
Well done for such a nice piece. Congratulations on winning
What an honor to end up as runner-up next to your poem (though as always for me your in the winner circle) 🎉
Returning to congratulate you, Paul, on your runner-up win❣
This was beautifully sad, Paul. It had this feel of apathy towards life and yet a feeling that there's something greater...something greater for us to struggle against...I can see the influence of "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" in it. Well done, and congrats on the Runner Up placement in the Challenge!
This definitely had the "in transition" feel that's perfect for the challenge. Reflective and while fighting off both apprehension and apathy. I really liked the "each of which offered both profound sage wisdom and words that amounted to nothing but plateau platitudes" line. It's usually a bit of both, isn't it? Great poem, Paul!
Methinks I’ll leave this challenge in your more than capable hands, Paul. Quoting Thomas and Cummings and matching their power and grace in your own stanzas is very, very impressive! I love this poem. It feels like life fully experienced, both vibrant and mindful of human fragility. Good luck on the challenge, though I’m not sure this will need it.
Great as always. Striking topics close to the heart and brain space these days….
Feels like you’re wrestling with the same stuff a lot of us do. Thanks for putting it into words.
I don't know why but for some reason, I thought only flying squirrels can glide. I learned something new from you today. Loved your poem 🍩🥐
I love the blend of poetic references and grounded reflections.
Many great poems have been rejected by Rattle! Keep on!
Brilliant!!! ❤️❤️💕
A lot of your poems always have a depth to them that leads to the soul or somewhere even deeper. I'm an uncultured swine, so I haven't heard of Dylan Thomas, but I have heard of Cummings, haha! You mentioned references to their work in your poem, but this poem still feels like the brilliant Paul at work crafting more of his masterful poetry.
Eloquently portrayed, Paul!
This was so gorgeously written, Paul!
The echoes of Thomas and cummings are especially apposite, my liege!