That day I saw beneath dark clouds,
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before,
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.
It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing,
speaking out loud in the clear air.
It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.
by David Whyte
A true David Whyte poem rich in metaphors and images, speaking of an awakening to the miracle of life. This spring, more than before, I’m experiencing and also hearing from others how awake we are to its changes, to the reassurance and beauty and inspiration that comes from seeing things grow. Staying in one place more than normal invites this noticing of details, and I find that more than in other years, I’m comforted by the growing power of the earth and inviting this growth even in small ways feels hugely satisfying to me. Definitely a falling in love with solid ground there!
But there’s also an internal opening of eyes that comes with the simple act of stopping and noticing, of being open to look underneath any ‘dark clouds’ at what comes shining through. To me, the poem is an invitation to be curious: are my eyes open? Am I allowing my heart to speak ‘out loud in the clear air’? Am I noticing the miracles in front of me, and can I fall in love with the solid ground underneath me, even deeper? Plenty of things getting in the way of all this happening, old fears and resistances, habitual patterns – but let’s linger a bit longer with the curiosity, the possibility, the opening… and who knows what we might be astonished by.
PS Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash