I wrote the poem below whilst on a retreat called ‘The Mythic Contest’. It is a metaphor for seeking – it could be seeking happiness, seeking wisdom or seeking where we fit into the universe. This is one of my favourite poems. The sequel is in my latest anthology ‘Counting Magpies – Limited Edition’ and is titled ‘No Bell’. If you would like a copy please contact me direct 🙂

 

Finding the Silent Ones

 

I will scour the darkest forest

and glide through mango groves

searching for the silent ones

who travel the same road

 

I will fight the fiercest oceans

and plunge to deepest depths

searching for the silent ones

who sing with silent breath

 

I will trek across the deserts

leaving no grain of sand unturned

searching for the silent ones

for whom my heart doeth yearn

 

I will scale the highest mountain

and dwell within dark caves

searching for the silent ones

whom I hope to find some day

 

I will raft the rabid rapids

and abseil from peak to floor

searching for the silent ones

whom they say exist no more

 

I will comb the Sunkist beaches

and skim the silvery surf

searching for the silent ones

rumoured to roam this earth

 

I will search the church and chapels

and cathedral spires and tombs

searching for the silent ones

whom dwell in catacombs

 

I will tiptoe to the shrine room

and bow with folded hands

and here I’ll find the silent ones

my kith, my kin, my clan.

 

© Finding the Silent Ones  16.06.2014

by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm