In the dVerse Poets Pub Tuesday means it's time for Poetics ~ Guest Host Truedessa shares a poem titled "The Song My Paddle Sings" from a book of poetry by Emily Pauline Johnson and invites us to use the title as a springboard for our poems.
my paddle sings a song
older than my breath
rhythm low
against river's skin
with each paddle's dip
lyrics of water
lift, fall, dissolve
blue sky listens without reply
i follow the current's melody
knowing how motion, silence
can be enough
Helen - I love your lyrical paddle's song. Yes, silence sometimes can be enough to calm the internal spirit.
ReplyDeleteHelen, this is beautiful! I also love your lyrical paddle's song! I have always loved things quiet and serene, being in nature, listening to the sounds of water (such as the ocean, river, waterfall, fountain), hearing the birds sing. This always makes me feel calm and happy.
ReplyDeleteSongs from the lyrics of the water and silence are enough. Love this Helen.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely. I feel the silence, I see that quiet sky.
ReplyDeleteSilence is a wonderful place to row towards - Jae
ReplyDeleteSuch a peaceful poem, Helen, lyrical and quiet. I love that it’s a song ‘older than my breath’.
ReplyDeleteI find your poem so calming and meditative. Reading it feels like slipping into the gentle rhythm of paddling itself, steady, quiet, and deeply connected to the water. The way you describe the river as having a “skin” and the sky as a listener makes the whole scene feel alive and intimate. It left me with a sense of peace, like I’d been on the water for a while myself.
ReplyDeleteA lyrical melody, Helen, sweet and flowing. I love it.
ReplyDeletehelen, i honestly love all your poems, but true paddle love for what you've penned today. xx, ren
ReplyDeleteI love the song you sang... and the silence not the least
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, Helen. How oftern do any of us get where "blue sky listens without reply"?
ReplyDeleteLovely, Helen! I was there with you. ❤️
ReplyDeleteLovely, Helen. I especially like your opening stanza <3
ReplyDeleteThis is a delight to read, Helen.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's something to be said for a quiet glide in solitude on water, a form of meditation. This is divine.
ReplyDeleteI admire the poem's simplicity and depth. Ending on the thought that motion and silence "can be enough" is a powerful, grounding message. It feels very much in tune with the quiet rhythm of the river you describe
ReplyDelete