#NAPOMO 2017 #GUEST #POETRY #BLOG "reopening" by BETH ANNE BOARDMAN for #NATIONALPOETRYMONTH

reopening

i found an old poem –

written on a warm day,

when a dramatic offshore wind

streamed spray out to sea,

off the crests of rolling, tumbling

massive turquoise waves….

“here’s the truth:”

the poem said. 

“I no longer believe

in true love….”

oh! sad! (i thought.)

(how long ago did i write this? why?)

“I no longer believe in love

between a man and a woman,”

the poem went on.

(hm, what?)

“I believe in

  silence

  and space

  and the

  great unknown.”

(ah!)

“I have gone into

 the place

 I have always feared.”

(yes!)

“Beyond ideas of

 love –

 and into

 silence.”

(oh, yes!)

•

silence:

a cold, interstellar

kind of place, at first –

terrifying

huge

endless –

like standing in

the mouth of a huge black cave….

yogis, holy people, healers

tell us:

in silence lives all possibility.

all dreams

hopes,

nightmares

next to despair –

we humans will

hop like jack-rabbits,

dance like deer

(i’m afraid i’ve done these things myself)

just to outrun  

silence....

ubique silentium….

•

here’s the thing, though:

silence contains the grail –

truth, love – tristan and iseult, arthur, the green knight –

it’s hard to describe, but

listen….

in welcoming my own existence,

in making a hospitable place for my dreams,

i am finding a dearness in myself –

what a surprise! 

and all my loves have deepened,

and breathing comes ever easier,

and guess who just walked in my door?

True Love!

©2017 mythopoetry.com
©2017 Beth Anne Boardman All Rights Reserved

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Anne Boardman, RN, MA, PhD lives in California and New Hampshire. She travels and lectures on the Mythology of Sport; Women and Myth; and the Alchemy of Adolescence (her dissertation topic), in addition to consulting as a writer to websites. 

Recently, Beth has served on the board of the Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association and as Regional Coordinator for local alumni. Her career spans work as a registered nurse, the study of world dance and music, and the profound joy of raising two children.



For more poetry by Beth see
   POEMS FROM THE OTHERWORLD


For stories and essays on creative life & culture see   MYTHMUSE