Writing in a far and broken country
my pen knows its kinship with the dark forest,
asks direction of its trees, celebrates its quiet amity
over the din of plastic medicine vials, the 40-foot
serpentine specter of cannulae, the hiss and sigh
of an oxygen compressor amid layered silences.
We are named on a long list of regional poets.
The region is the sickroom where the palm and
birch outside the window know their meaning.
Lend a shaman ear.
Trees will speak, will tell you that we are found.
We are here, not lost in our vessels but found
in the hallowed company of shaman poets
on a vision quest
Call it illness.
Call it artful.
Strike up the hill. Cry out for the Sacred Dream,
for the purpose of your life and its contusions.
A comforting infinity breaks through any grieving
fiercely embraced: The great dream comes to you.
The trees come to you. They speak in their voices,
which are – after all – your true voice . . .
Whenever life takes, it leaves behind the key to its
wide and wild essence. Unlock the door. Listen …
the voices offer solace and the privilege of poetry.
© 2013, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved
Photo courtesy of morgueFile
JAMIE DEDES ~ My worldly tags are poet and writer. For the past five years I’ve blogged at The Poet by Day,the journey in poem, formerly titled Musing by Moonlight. Through the gift of poetry (mine and that of others), I enter sacred space.
The BeZine 
Wonderful words Jamie and the last lines gave me a key to handle a new grief, and comfort to cope….
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A wonderful perspective of what life often brings to us…wanted and unwanted.
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Jamie: Haunting and hopeful words!
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…”the voices offer solace and the privilege of poetry.” Jamie, this is so beautifully expressed–every word and image.
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Jamie, yes, it can be so difficult to remember that even illnesses can be pilgrimages and vision quests.Thank you for a spot on post!
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Oh my. This opens so much perspective. I have friends who have made vision quests and regretted that I couldn’t….thank you so much for this, Jamie.
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You have put into eloquent words the truth of it all. Like you it is a miracle that I still walk the earth. Of course there was more to do. Not my time. I have arrhythmia, tachycardia and congestive heart failure and recently I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Over the last few years I learned how to manage my heart challenges and this new one seemed a bit much to add to the journey. These diseases, though, have been some of my greatest teachers. I have now a new attitude toward pain. I am grateful to be able to take much deeper my understanding of embracing the moment. Once night, not being able to sleep for the pain, I realized that fully embracing the sensation of pain and welcoming it to my experience was not what I was doing. It was more like gritting my teeth to get through it all. I consider this divine because the next day I began a different relationship with the pain in my body. It hasn’t gone away, but I now see it as part of my life.
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Deep and moving Jamie. What insights and visions are received through illness.
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