Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
Â
~~ David Wagoner ~~
“No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.”
The great philosopher Heraclitus remarked that you cannot stand in the same river twice. Like the trees are to the Raven or branches are to the Wren, even our experiences of life can never be the same – even if we be looking at the same thing again. Change is the only truth.
Wonderful comment…thank you. 🙂
This poem touch me very deeply. Thank you, hardly seems enough but thank you anyway.
I’m glad you saw this one then…thanks. 🙂
One of those moments when WP needs a LOVE button…LIKE is not sufficient. Beautiful!
Thanks for stopping by, for reading…and for commenting. 🙂
THis poem hit my soul too – though I am not sure why. I need to come back and read it again (and maybe again) to understand why my eyes are full and my heart is saying ‘yes’.
Reblogged on waitingforthekarmatruck.com
Mimi, what can I say…except that the best poems for me are the ones which leave me feeling exactly like that. This poem is one. Thank you for your wonderful comment. 🙂
Reblogged this on Waiting for the Karma Truck and commented:
I keep returning to this poem, to these words – with my heart saying ‘yes’ and eyes wet with tears. Happy Sunday all.
Beautiful…
🙂
oy. Love this. Shades of my man Castaneda…
Thanks for stopping by… 🙂
Beautiful and more than that … A journey…
Yes…thank you. 🙂
💛
That is a great poem by David Wagoner. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by… 🙂
You are welcome.
Mimi, that is beautiful. Where did you discover this poet?? I would like to read more of his works.