Perhaps John Lennon never
considered old flat top a dolmen
never say never
I heard them say
in John Lennon world
You got to be free
forever
north south east west
never say never
I heard them say
beneath
beside
bequeathing dolmens
bequeathing breath
infinity
soul
north south east west
never say never
I heard them say.
His voice reminds me of William Blake’s poetry about children,
or sacrifice in a dark ocean storm, or a sunflower standing against the wind.
Like Guernica or a battlefield nurse
or Christ when they came for him in the garden.
Good father may your telluric chant
be blessed with the speed & power of a thousand
shooting stars.
What
Do sad people have in
Common?
It seems
They have all built a shrine
To the past
And often go there
And do a strange wail and
Worship.
What is the beginning of
Happiness?
It is to stop being
So religious
Like
That.
Translation by Daniel Ladinsky
The animal figure was originally a shadow puppet created last year by a Grade 8 student in a small Ontario town. I delivered a poetry and shadow puppetry workshop & we created a quite striking multi media production. I decided to experiment with a photo taken during the workshop. Simultaneously I discovered this Hafiz poem which follows the previous post by Rumi very elegantly.
poemimage 