A Kind of Poetry
by Chi Lingyun
To discover a tree's memories is impossible.
To seek a pebble's experience is also impossible.
We spy on water's motion
but in the end we still can't touch its core.
The cloud has always been there, we exhaust our energy
to understand its will, yet there's no hope
it will reveal the sky's mysteries.
Poetry also has the will of clouds
with words like rain, to avoid madness
it creates more madness. Just as when love
is written down, it loses half of its sincerity.
When explained, there is only a layer of sticky
mist left. No one is quick or deft enough
to capture poetry for long. Everything perfect
contains a dark cave.
To discover a tree's memories is impossible.
To seek a pebble's experience is also impossible.
We spy on water's motion
but in the end we still can't touch its core.
The cloud has always been there, we exhaust our energy
to understand its will, yet there's no hope
it will reveal the sky's mysteries.
Poetry also has the will of clouds
with words like rain, to avoid madness
it creates more madness. Just as when love
is written down, it loses half of its sincerity.
When explained, there is only a layer of sticky
mist left. No one is quick or deft enough
to capture poetry for long. Everything perfect
contains a dark cave.
(the rest of the poem is here -- scroll down to the third poem)
My brother found this poem and shared it with me. I loved it in March, but I love it even more after poetry month. The line, "Just as when love/is written down, it loses half of its sincerity" seems to have been written just for me and my PO-EMotion collaborators! And I found so many dark caves last month...
For more Poetry Friday "spelunking," visit Michelle's roundup at Today's Little Ditty.
Oh yes, those dark, wild caves...poetry illuminates them, doesn't it? Yay for spelunking! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating poem! Worth reading and re-reading.
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ReplyDeleteMary Lee, the line that resonates with you from aA Kind of Poetry comes into focus for me with "I can't explain the attraction of this cave. A kind of tranquility, which carries a greater sacrifice undissolved by light." It brings to mind an early spelunking adventure/field trip I had with delinquent boys that brought me to an inner cave of tranquility. In the bowels of the earth rests words. Thanks for jarring that memory for me. Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe opening lines are especially lovely.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday, all!
No one is quick or deft enough
ReplyDeleteto capture poetry for long.
And so we keep working at it! A meaningful poem--thanks for sharing it.
Wonderful to read a new-to-me poet! Thanks for the thought provoking sample of her work :).
ReplyDelete"Words like rain... Just as when love
ReplyDeleteis written down, it loses half of its sincerity.
When explained, there is only a layer of sticky
mist left." I don't really know what to say, I just needed to repeat those lines a few more times. Thanks for sharing, Mary Lee.
Wow - this poem explains a great deal about the struggle to write proper poetry.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile! Cousin, you have a shark... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150507-great-white-shark-mary-lee-ocean-animal-tagging-science/
Great poem. I love 'the will of clouds'
ReplyDeleteThis!
ReplyDelete"When explained, there is only a layer of sticky
mist left."
Exactly!
"to avoid madness, it creates more madness." I feel this often when writing.
ReplyDeleteI went back to read the poem again today, and it is no longer on the site, as best I can tell. Her other poems have the same transcendent, ethereal quality.
ReplyDelete"To discover...
ReplyDeleteTo seek...
To understand...the sky's mysteries"
These are the reasons we explore that "dark cave"
Thank you for sharing this gorgeous poem, Mary Lee.
As Tabatha said - a poem to read and re-read, and discover something new each time.
ReplyDeleteSuch true words, so cunningly spoken. All thoughts written down seem to lose half their sincerity and gain half their weight in artifice.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that "the cave" contains very real things (minerals, ice) and "feathers /a few symbols" - the "feathers" can be read as a verb or as a noun in part of a list. Even after we explore the cave, we still don't know what it is. That's a perfect way to describe how elusive a poem can be. Thanks for posting this, Mary Lee.
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