River of Life
October 29, 2009
By: Pearl Mary Wilshaw
Threads of being waver in the breeze,
Cells weave energy into a murmuring stream,
Ever deeper, it courses within each entity,
Flowing to a vibrant, Janus-faced theme.
Cells weave energy into a murmuring stream,
Meandering flesh and bone, it rambles free,
Flowing to a vibrant, Janus-faced theme.
As eardrums hum, tuning the quest with glee.
Meandering flesh and bone, it rambles free,
Where harmony impels primitive notes along,
As eardrums hum, tuning the quest with glee.
Heart-beats pulse a rustic survival song.
Where harmony impels primitive notes along,
Nerves pluck an arabesque of splashing water,
Heart-beats pulse a rustic survival song
After platelets frolic with muted laughter.
Nerves pluck an arabesque of splashing water,
Veins merge and arteries pumping, drone.
After platelets frolic with muted laughter,
Torrents enter chambers then exit honed.
Veins merge and arteries pumping, drone.
Rhythm propels energy amid tissue and part,
Torrents enter chambers then exit honed,
Splendors of creation reflected in viable art.
Rhythm propels energy amid tissue and part,
Ever deeper, it courses within each entity,
Splendors of creation reflected in viable art
While threads of being waver in the breeze.
Interesting structuring device:
The even-numbered pair of lines of a stanza become the odd-numbered pair of the succeeding stanza, with the last two even-numbered lines recapitulating the inverted odd-numbered lines of the first stanza.
Thus, to attempt to present it visually in this limited format (it would be helpful to draw lines between the asterisks between stanzas):
Stanza #
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A *B *E *G *I *K *M
B* E* G* I* K* M* C
C *D *F *H *J *L *N
D* F* H* J* L* N* A
Very beautiful mathematically!
ECLIPSED VERSION:
Threads of being waver in the breeze,
Cells weave energy into a murmuring stream,
Ever deeper, it courses within each entity,
Flowing to a vibrant, Janus-faced theme.
Meandering flesh and bone, it rambles free,
Where harmony impels primitive notes along,
As eardrums hum, tuning the quest with glee.
Heart-beats pulse a rustic survival song.
Nerves pluck an arabesque of splashing water,
Veins merge and arteries pumping, drone.
After platelets frolic with muted laughter.
Torrents enter chambers then exit honed.
Rhythm propels energy amid tissue and part,
Ever deeper, it courses within each entity,
Splendors of creation reflected in viable art.
While threads of being waver in the breeze.
*****************************
Does this say the same thing? Not sure. My impression reading through the original is that it is the story of life pumping through the bloodstream, but the initial words “breeze” and “Janus-faced” somehow don’t seem to fit with that. (I assume the metaphor of breeze could be applied to the bloodstream, and perhaps Janus-faced refers to the limits of life within time, looking in both directions…)
Not at all sure I am qualified to comment on the meaning intended, but I like the beauty in the structure.
Hope I didn’t dissect it to death…Life is meant to be lived, not dissected! I enjoyed is, Pearl Mary! It resonates and flows, and leaves a peacefulness in passing.
Interesting ideas and metaphors!