‘Ground of Poetry’ is a poem inspired by the bagpipe playing of a Scottish friend, Colin, during a recent gathering in memory of another friend, Aranth. See an earlier post on ‘receiving.’ The sound of the bagpipe opened the sky and vast landscapes, across which the drone carried the glories tunes into a kind of homecoming. The drone of a musical instrument, I thought, is like the backdrop sound of the universe into which every manifestation dissolves, and from which every manifestation returns.
… in the beginning was the word … the leaves in my garden reminded me of words.
thousand-and-one words fall to the ground
jewelling the story of seasons’ rounds
they’ll twirl anew to the drone
of each new sound arising
from beyond the ever-
open silence
open silence
from beyond the ever
of each new sound arising
they’ll twirl anew to the drone
jewelling the story of seasons’ rounds
thousand-and-one words swell from the ground
For anyone not that familiar with bagpipes, here are a few words and tunes:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandssongs/about/instruments/bagpipes/index.asp
Course of Mirrors 