Friday, May 24, 2013

I strolled along the Seine to look

I strolled along the Seine to look
At scenes I'd gazed at in a book;
The solid strength of Notre Dame,
Quick boats that cleft the river's calm,
The Left Bank's bustling, lively throng,
The passing hubbub like a song,
The Eiffel Tower's silhouette,
Made Paris real, and yet, and yet...


I thought I'd lived here once before,
So long ago...familiar lore
Recalled on every narrow street,
With memories so sharp and sweet;
Was it my past, or did I see
An alternate reality,
A time that I had never known,
A place that I could never own?

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Itr was quiet in America a thousand years ago

It was quiet in America a thousand years ago,
On a normal day, so still, you could almost hear the flowers grow.
The only sounds occurring by the woods or by the sea
Were the daily sounds of nature, singing out in harmony.

On the ground, or in the air, it hardly mattered which,
The silence was astonishing, its texture was so rich.
The forest sounds included those of deer and mountain lion;
With luck, when they were still, you might hear the soft breeze sighing.

The eastern natives had long-houses, built with sturdy trees,
They wielded home-made axes to erect their homes with ease.
In silence women tilled the fields, soft-treading men sought deer;
Each summer's menu featured fish, caught in a rustic weir.

The world you navigate today reverberates with sound,
From screeching brakes and honking horns, your ears are being drowned.
A million voices try to shout above the traffic's scream,
While quiet seems a precious prize you yearned for in a dream.

No way has been discovered to return us to the past;
You wouldn't be the first to hope, nor would you be the last.
But every now and then, it's good to leave the telephone,
To take a walk in silence, and enjoy its quiet tone.