A new month: move forward and stay still

Karl Duffy

What is it then that sits in my heart,
that breathes so quietly, and without lungs —
that is here, here in this world, and yet not here?

Mary Oliver, The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem

3 thoughts on “A new month: move forward and stay still”

  1. ONLY FOR YOU

    Do not bewail your fate at crossroads
    Nor shirk the choice of either/or
    But singing both/and search for the lost notes
    The key to pick is neither/nor

    Let us pray for the seasick sailor
    Stormswept, becalmed upon the sea
    The hero’s bold venture doomed to failure
    As Jonah also tried to flee

    Uncertainty made him a dancer
    Who once had been so far from shore
    And no single key can be the answer
    Just as no road can be a door

    The crossroads never have a signpost
    The ship that sinks will reach no quay
    The road is dark – devils take the hindmost
    And Know Where is it plain to see

    I do not write to give directions
    The distance or the trials in store
    These are the milestones of my acceptance
    And they pretend to be no more

    – Ben Naga

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