Willow
To understand
A little of how a shaken love
May be sustained
A little of how a shaken love
May be sustained
Consider
The giant stillness
Of a willow
The giant stillness
Of a willow
After a storm.
This morning it is more than peaceful
But last night that great form
This morning it is more than peaceful
But last night that great form
Was tossed and hit
By what seemed to me
A kind of cosmic hate,
By what seemed to me
A kind of cosmic hate,
An infernal desire
To harass and confuse,
Mangle and bewilder
To harass and confuse,
Mangle and bewilder
Each leaf and limb
With every vicious
Stratagem
With every vicious
Stratagem
So that now I cannot
grasp
The death of nightmare.
How it has passed away
The death of nightmare.
How it has passed away
Or changed to
this
Stillness,
This clean peace
Stillness,
This clean peace
That seems so
unshakable
A branch beyond my reach says
"It is well
A branch beyond my reach says
"It is well
"For me to feel
The transfiguring breath
Of evil
The transfiguring breath
Of evil
"Because yesterday
The roots by which I live
Lodged in apathetic clay.
The roots by which I live
Lodged in apathetic clay.
"But for that fury
How should I be rid of the slow death?
How should I know
How should I be rid of the slow death?
How should I know
"That what a storm can
do
Is to terrify my roots
And make me new?"
Is to terrify my roots
And make me new?"
~ Brendan Kennelly
~
(A Time for
Voices)
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