Every Sunday the gently encouraging Hiro Boga hosts a poetry circle on her blog The Flourishing Muse. I’ve participated in it for a few weeks now, and am discovering a new freedom in sharing words which I had hitherto kept private.
This week I shared a poem called Inchcailloch. It is a departure from my usual style as it’s much more focused on rhythm and repetition than the poems I usual write. It’s a poem which is more suited to being read out loud, I thought, and so I decided to record it as a voice thread:
Inchcailloch
Before my face,
white butterflies,
dancing between sunshine and sunshade,
share in the joy of each step.
soar in the rise of each dawn.
sway in the breath of each breeze.
As I am drawn onwards and inwards
to the heart of the myth.
to the heart of the isle.
to the heart of myself.
Beneath bare feet,
the rich dark earth,
malleable with persistent mists,
responds to the shape of each sole.
replies to the depth of each print.
relates to the height of each hope.
As I am drawn onwards and inwards
to the heart of the myth.
to the heart of the isle.
to the heart of myself.
Beyond my flaws,
Kentigerna,
offering sweet, serene sanctuary,
bestirs in the sleep of my soul.
begins in the breadth of my being.
belongs in the flame of my love.
As I am drawn onwards and inwards
to the heart of the myth.
to the heart of the isle.
to the heart of myself.
I always feel deeply moved while visiting this beautifully quiet, green island. It’s a special place which I frequently visit in my dreams and which often calls to me during my waking hours. What I wanted to capture in the poem was a sense of that continual returning, and an insight into a journey which, while it repeats and maintains similarities in each repetition, is quintessentially altered upon each undertaking. It’s a poem which tells of a journey experienced both in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense.
Are there places that you visit that maintain this attraction to your soul? Where were you last when you felt you made a spiritual connection with your environment? Have you tried to express this connection, and if so, how?
What a beautiful poem Amy, and I agree with you about the rhythm and the patterns of the words. Thanks for sharing it with us – I think your courage is stretching leaps and bounds too!
I love islands, and islands within islands… and hope to visit Inchailloch too (on your recommendation, many moons ago here)
I think the poem is wonderful. I really love how the verses end in the same way, it is very effective and the rhythm is soothing. I love being out in the countryside, as I live in a city, and just being out in the wild is spiritual for me. Seeing wildlife in their true habitat always captures my imagination and it is where I feel most relaxed and calm.
oh, bravo, Amy, bravo! I read the words first, then I closed my eyes and listened to your beautiful voice… and was transported to some enchanted isle on the wondrous Loch Lomond… sigh…
You certainly captured that sense of continual returning, though the travels of time alter you… now I long to see Scotland again and experience her wildness, her beauty and her deep power. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Just beautiful, and yes, what lovely rhythm! Thank you for sharing this!