Homework 11.1.15

[Irene]

I'm cheating - seeing I only have 35 mins of 11.1.15 left to go, and no time to write a new poem.
I am posting this one -which I have posted back in 2011 - but gives my reflections on a time when lighting knocked out our power, phones, computer, etc.


A Step out of the Flow
© Irene Conner
09/04/2011

There’s a velvet shroud of darkness cloaked around us all tonight;
not a sound to break the silence, not an artificial light;
not a star to twinkle cheekily as clouds dim moonlights gold
and my thoughts drift back to how I may have lived in days of old.

For a lightning bolt, by nature’s aim, has killed the power line.
For one moment from my modern life of ease, I must resign.
There’s no light to glow its beacon at the flicking of a switch
and no gadgetry I feel I need - my living to enrich.

There’s a candle shares it’s ambience with shadows on my wall;
in the silence I am free to hear the night worlds subtle call.
And I hold the choice to savour this small step out of the flow
of a lifestyle that consumes me as I’m rushing to and fro.

No computer hums its constant call to dally just awhile;
to come have a chat, or read a joke that’s sent to make me smile.
And no television anchorman recites his tales of gloom;
there’s just silence, and the candle light that fills my living room.

There’s no kettle waiting patiently to boil when ‘ere I will,
and no microwave producing food for me to have my fill.
There’s no telephones shrill out their call as hands free sets lie dead,
and I take the time to hear again the thoughts inside my head.

There’s a sense of still contentment creeps in silence through the cells
of a body that’s forgotten how to stop and breathe the smells
in a world suppressed unwittingly beneath our frantic pace,
and the stillness works its magic as I welcome it’s embrace.

For I see myself on winters’ eve with fire burning bright
and a lantern set beside me as I settle down to write,
taking time, despite a long, hard day, to let my thoughts flow free
in a way, which in my current life, I never let them be.

And I wonder, as I sit and dream, what thoughts would fill my mind
as I sit within the silence and release the ties that bind.
Would I write with recollection of the daytime tasks complete,
or of hardships that I must endure in searing summer heat?

Would I tell of weary bodies that are drained of energy;
of the baby that we buried, and her wrenching eulogy;
of the days spent scrubbing, washing, or the heat of cooking fire,
or the miles of rugged roadways – is it this that would inspire?

Would I write of pristine beauty found in silent bushland glade,
or the dappled gleam of morning light that creeps between the shade?
Would I write about a future where I lived a life of ease
with the time to sit in silence, and enjoy life’s gentle breeze?

It’s this contemplative silence that inspires my jaded soul
shredding ties that bind me to a life I know I don’t control.
Lying hidden in the hassle of a modern life on hold,
it’s a gift that has me stepping back to let my life unfold.

It’s a gift that prompts me patiently to settle back and walk
And to let the silence fill me; hear my inner voices talk,
and, as light and sound return again the silent world to fill,
there’s a timeless sense of peacefulness I carry with me still.

[Neville Briggs]

Great work Irene Your contributions are always original and thoughtful.


p.s. one thing, try doing without the fridge for a while, I had to recently, it's a great difficulty in this day and age.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Love it Irene - nicely crafted

[Catherine Lee]

This is beautiful Irene - a lovely poem with rhythmic smooth flow

[Heather]

I remember this one. There are some beautiful peaceful scenes there Irene.

Heather

[David Campbell]

Very thought-provoking, Irene. I think you've found that quiet place Marty referred to in another thread.

Cheers
David

[Terry]

If it wasn't for the lack of stars I'd be guessing you were tucked up in your swag in the back of your ute when you wrote this one Irene.

Very enjoyable read.

Terry

[Shelley Hansen]

I really enjoyed your poem Irene - well written and very reminiscent of time gone by!

(Sorry for the delay in posting this comment - been away from the Forum for a week or two).

Cheers, Shelley