Quietness
Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an axe to the prison wall.
Escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign
that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.
The speechless full moon
comes out now.
~Rumi
(translated by Coleman Barks
in The Essential Rumi)
I love the way it ties in with quiet love, the exploration of color, slowing down, and the deathlike experience of winter that so many people seem to be having right now. The line "become the sky" reminded me of one of my favorite songs, "I Am The Highway," by Audioslave. This video oddly but beautifully combines the song with clips from the movie, Into the Wild, which happens to be one of my favorite movies:
Goosebumps.
ReplyDeleteThat poems is just what I needed! Thank you!
My daughter adores that movie, too.
She has a photo of Chris (and a photo of Emile playing him) taped to her bedroom wall.
"Take an axe to the prison wall."
ReplyDeleteThe force - behind these words. WOW.
The energy that it takes to bust through a wall with an ax. This gives me a great deal to consider.
I am imagining the exertion, over and over busting through the wall, over and over and ending up depleted and therefore quiet.
Thank you.
I think Jenny and Jennifer said it best. Goosebumps. The force behind the words.
ReplyDelete"Become the sky."
"Take an axe to the prison wall."
"Walk out like someone suddenly born into color."
"Die, and be quiet."
So many of us have dreams or hopes or goals which resemble bursting free of the chains and stone walls, freeing themselves of the gray, and blasting into the blue sky, there to dwell forevermore. This poem speaks to that. Very powerful stuff. Inspirational, in fact.
I'll watch the music video after my stupid bandwidth limit lifts...
Jenny - You're welcome!
ReplyDeleteI watched that movie by myself on a portable DVD player in bed, and it just completely absorbed me. I thought Emile Hirsch's performance was completely astounding, especially at the end.
Give your daughter a high five for me!
Jennifer - I hadn't thought of it that way; it definitely gives me something to contemplate.
Postie - what are these bandwidth limits of which you speak, and why do you have them? Can you take an axe to them?