Jessica is my oldest granddaughter. She is in her last year at Vanderbilt here in Nashville.
I know she has many talents but did not know she loved writing and could express herself like the words she forewarded to me. She shared that her inspiration for this poem came from memories of my old farmhome, the open fields and nature and the times she would visit me.
She was like my two youngest when she would visit. Full of joy and bringing such happiness to this grandma. I thought she forgot. She did not. Her grandma has never forgotten. The memories are sharp and clear.
So this is documented with much love and added to my Journal.
My version of Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" by Jessica Parker
A gentle breeze carries my thoughts,
Across the tall thin wheat grass
Into the dark unknowing forest,
Where the brown extending branches climb high,
Poking and prying into the soft plaint sky
Empowering my vision
Securing my only holy mission.
My voice is lost, but my thoughts sing louder
Filtering through the piney grove
Hiding in nature's underworld
Of envious green hues and sun burnt oranges,
Soft and new, but visions of once knowing.
The wind skips across the placid pond
Tickling its surface, letting the ripples dance
Creating timeless and blessed sisterly bonds.
I yearn to float on the soft rolling waves of freedom
Like a lily pad with no rhyme or reason
Water gently flows over the smooth rocks
I dare to say, the trees above mock,
Gurgling softly and slowly, rolling in the tiny waves
Shadows filtered by the wispy leaves
Play upon this harmony.
While Nature's sweet notes filter through me
And I am lost unto Her.
Love is fleeting, blind and pure
It tickles the skin like a kitten's purr
Stings the everlasting soul
Or maybe leaves its mark in memories untold;
Wishing away the future toils
The tender sighs of lover's goodbyes
Bounce upon Nature's soft call.
Tiny black flies buzz swiftly by,
Echoes hushed by the wispy winds
Birds coo softly, weaving amongst the clouds
Puffs of white, float in the baby blue sky
Painting a heavenly picture for all who pass by
Nature is but Her own artist
I am but a viewer, lost in Her garden;
Seeking to find my lost innocence of youth
Tangled in the knotted garden roots.
The slight rustle of leaves hum, yearning for affection
Crackling and creaking under my impression.
Lights dimly lay upon the supple green grass
Growing quietly, silently, under the care of Her watch,
Like the marching ants scurrying below,
Their silent work weaving into the rhythm of time;
Creating sweet melodies with their walk and strict time.
Time for me has been lost in the shadows
Deep and dark, never following a pattern
But here under the open sky, where thick clouds
Hover heavenly above the great mallows,
Reviving past memories sunken now shallow.
Truth, beauty, patience, and love
All hide in the ivy crawling and thriving,
Up the cracked white fence,
Covering it, painting it, in a deep envious hue
Bursts of color seep on through;
Peeking out from behind the pointy leaves
A lustful pink, a child's orange, and fiery red
Like the bold palette of a young girl's bed.
My memory creaks, stretches and groans
Reaching out for the sweet embrace of Her own;
Dew-drops pure and cool, honey-suckle in full bloom
Lightened by the warming rays from above.
The sights I see are from another time,
Yet here and now, in this serene and blessed mood
Where the faint buzz of fat yellow bees play
Adding another note to a harmonious new day.
A dim neigh of a horse breaches the distance
My seclusion slightly disturbed by a creature of His creation.
Wreaths of dark smoke circle ahead,
Swirling on the horizon, reminding me of death,
Yet fear not sings the tiny stream
Dream once more of playful days
Where time was but a number hung onto a wall
And I was but a young seed, sipping the eternal water
My girlish smile spread always upon my rosy cheeks
And the garden bed was where I curled up to sleep.
I bask in the glory of sun's great power
Let the steamy mist of night's misty wonders
Caress my soft skin, turning it leisurely into tints of blue;
Goosebumps glide infectiously across my golden tan
I dream of far off times, I dream of that young man.
My body seems to levitate across this golden landscape.
Bringing me back to cities and towns
Where thoughts of sweet sensations
Lingered mindlessly among the smoke and smog,
Sticking its mighty chest out like a toad to a frog.
My sanity sways, like gusts of wind through a slim coat
Fighting to stay alive, or rather, stay afloat.
This long absence has erased all but the feeling
Burning deep inside my soul, oppressed with too much reason.
Time will always move faster and never will it stop
Running and chasing, blacking out all thoughts
But in the bustling urban life, it doesn't even walk,
Relax, sit down, or have the time to talk:
The city streets remain bleak and bare
The narrow alleys filled with gloomy thorns
It seems to be eternal winter here and there.
And in the stacked apartment rooms, slithering worms
Infest the nooks or any tiny spaces
Letting out a sensational howl, just like an afternoon storm;
Erasing any hope of a crimson joy,
I lie awake, fading fast
While I watch all of nature's life be destroyed.
What immortal hand or eye
Could replace all that is forgotten
In the distant depths of oceans,
Or in the long symmetrical rows of cotton?
On what wings I dare aspire?
Choking on fear of being caught and remembered
Or even worse, although much better, I may even seize the fire
Which would unlock all knots of hope
Opening all doors for intrusive restlessness to cope,
Release my unrelenting anger, and repressed holy fears
That will at once unravel and fill the ground with tears
Of salty, sticky, residual, lasting peace
My selfless love and desire to leave will altogether increase
My trapped mind will turn from the unprofitable grave
And through the streets I will hear the youth curse
But now all I hear is their tarnished souls that yearn to be saved.
Praying internally for all emotional wars to diminish
I know its time for my journey that I shall finally finish.
It's in the peaceful countryside you can catch a breath,
One of sweet sincerity, reminding of past lives
But at first like a loud echo, appalls
The first time, it's as if you've hit the wall;
Gleams of half-extinguished thoughts
Jump mercilessly as if they're being fought at will
I come upon the purest ones of holiness and thrills.
A lover of the meadows and the woods
I give myself over to its rolling songs and hills.
A correspondent breeze gently moves
With redundant energy and quickening virtue
I let go of my tight grasp of time and present dangers
I may have come upon this field as a blind man's stranger
Yet I break up a long continued frost
That gripped my heart and staggered my soul
Pining for a glimpse of how it used to be
Escaping all ties and blind bonds of harsh society.
Humility and modesty are cloaked in the trees
Sprinkling down their simplicity unto myself and me.
I open my ears onto autumn's hollow sighs
Escaping from the demons of my past
And allow the chilly kisses of gusty winds
Infuse my perfumed garments and lead me into gardens fair
Where I can truly let go and show the natural world
Just how much I care.
Sunny beams glide and charm my path,
I call forth all creatures and sing their lullaby
Temper their anger and naturalistic wrath
Serene notes of magical appeal and wondrous scenes
Lift my spirits high and lure my thoughts from cold and dusty depths
Elevate my position from lowly mortal to heavenly queen.
An evening star flashes above in the great expanse
Smiles on my love and urges the rolling dusk to fall upon the horizon
As I catch my breath and reality creeps back upon me
Like a giant cobra lurking in the shadows, a serpent of bad intentions
I stagger and stumble, trip on the stony, dusty path
Yet nature reigns above all and I am but a mortal
Bowing to Her call.
I lower my head and darkness descends, blanketing the earth
As well as my troubles,
I head down the path feeling slow and secure
Slipping reluctantly back through the waiting door
Dragging my heavy heart across the overgrown floor.
Some more sharing from This One Woman on Her Journey Through This Life
With November soon arriving, another birthday in my family will be celebrated. Beth Ann is my middle daughter. She is an RN and is presently doing administrative work at a local hospital. She recently moved near me and two of my other children. So nice to have my local children living about 5 to 10 minutes away.
