Thursday, March 18, 2010

already the heart

this poem has been repeating itself in my head as of late. my dear friend Sara sent it to me several years ago along with a letter. i don't know where she came across it, but certainly i thank her for sharing it. for some reason it has stuck with me and comes unasked into my thoughts. so, now, i share with you.

Already the Heart

The spinal cord blossoms

like bright, bruised magnolia
into the brainstem.
And already the heart

in its depth - who could assail it?

Bathed in my voice, all branching
and dreaming. The flowering

and fading - said the poet -
come to us both at once.
Here is your best self,
and the least, two sparrows
alight in the one tree
of your body.

-A.V. Christie


Here is your best self,/and the least, two sparrows/alight in the one tree/of your body... indeed. this is what keeps spinning around my head.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

My brother was Googling and found this poem and sent me your blog link. The poem is from my second book of poems _The Housing_. I am glad you like it: the image clearly stayed with me as well--birds are everywhere in my poems. The idea of 2 birds comes from the Upanishads, but I took the idea in a different direction. The poet I speak of is Rilke, and the poem is in a way spoken to my daughter. I love the photograph you put with it ... My other book of poems is _Nine Skies_. My best, A.V. Christie

Alexis said...

Hi Ann,
Thank you so much for your comment and the background behind the poem. It is always enlightening to know the intent. And many thanks for the poem, itself, the imagery has been very powerful for me over the years. Thank you!