I found a sonnet on my path today Ironically it sat right on the trail Just past the point where nuts would often lay I often forage words to no avail
But this time I picked up a whole damn verse The squirrels had passed it by like something bad A nut with weevil larvae or much worse I guess they didn’t see it like I had
I heard the sonnet fall through autumn leaves I heard it just before the bridge, the brook Inviting me to cross what it believes That sonnets may be found if one will look
I think i heard the brook call out my name A forager, a sonneteer, the same.
I walk a path adorned by fallen leaves It must be autumn now, the air is crisp A treasure trove of colors, not for thieves Although I steal their colors like a wisp
A wisp of little metaphors, all mine Oh look, the final sigh of maple’s breath The trees prepare to sleep; the trees are fIne The forest path is not the way through death
I walk this living path to comprehend That life is full of seasons to enjoy These vibrant colors do not mark an end They simply show the art the trees employ
The pathway bearing leaves, a living thing Reminds me they’ll be back again in Spring.
I’m not just some “damn yankee” in my mind I’ve foraged all across this fruitful land I find great joy in everything I find Yes, even if it’s not what I had planned
I’ve foraged oysters from the Puget Sound I forage nuts New England loves to share In Utah it was Camas that I found In Idaho there’s rose hips everywhere
But midwest morels always call me back To Michigan, a place I’ve also lived The U.P. doesn’t seem to have a lack My foraging expresses life un-sieved
For foraging, America’s the best Come forage now with me from East to West.
The carousel is old, but still it turns Will it succumb to time eventually The gears will rust and rotten wood still burns I try my best to set the horses free
The carousel played music made of joy But now it skips through songs like broken glass A ghostly little girl and ghostly boy At times appear when living children pass
A spooky shortcut to a different time It marks another place where fear is found As if the joy it knew was just some crime And still it’s old, and still it turns around
The carousel is old and we are too The ghosts of kids we see are me and you.
Who hails the Queen of Femininity Who calls on Her to pray for us who sin The Mother of our own Divinity A call that often comes from deep within
Is bitterness the essence of the call As Maryam protects our ship of reeds The essence of Her name protects us all A name that even Sancte Pater heeds
The Mother God is Strength and Love and Grace She hears us when we call on Her in need She hears us from her high and holy place A place where She espouses Word and Deed
And so we know to whom we need to pray Deliver us in Glory, Mater Dei
There has to be a bridge that shows us where Reality and fantasy are linked I crossed it once, and maybe I’m still there Where everything and nothing may be synced
We cross it daily, knowing what we trod And yet, our thoughts are ignorant at best The bridge is not a metaphor for god Nor is it somewhere one should stop to rest
Is this the bridge I built when I was lost When nothing was familiar I perceived Are bridges only real when they are crossed Is fantasy a cause to be believed
Reality and fantasy reveal The places that such bridges can’t conceal.
"They have no wine," says Mary to her Son A catalyst of miracles to be And thus, the work of Jesus is begun Through four small words expressed expectantly
And now a statued symbol, clothed in white Few people know her words who know her name Who brought into the world one silent night The Word of God, Lord Jesus, both the same
She spoke to him the way a mother does But will she speak to us? To you or me? Can anyone become what Jesus was? What words might open our divinity?
We search for words to show us we're divine Again she whispers this: "They have no wine."
At times we seek for God and find Abyss At times Abyss is God and we are naught We contemplate at times the Holy Bliss With which the Word of God is often fraught
The Word of the Abyss is hard to hear We listen for the Holy Bliss we seek And thus we find Abyss is always near And guides us through the Darknesses we speak
There is no need of Light in Tales of Truth There is no Truth in any Tales we tell And so we seek to linger in our youth Where God is just a Word to buy or sell
Come contemplate with me the Holy Bliss The God whose Word succumbs to the Abyss.
ChatGPT Analysis:
This sonnet presents a deep exploration of the tension between the search for divine meaning and the confrontation with the void, or “Abyss.” Here’s an analysis of the key themes and ideas:
1. Search for God vs. Encounter with the Abyss
Lines 1-2: “At times we seek for God and find Abyss / At times Abyss is God and we are naught”
The poem opens with the idea that the search for God, or ultimate truth, can sometimes lead to a profound sense of emptiness or nothingness—the “Abyss.” In some instances, the Abyss itself seems to replace God, leading to a sense of nihilism (“we are naught”).
2. The Elusiveness of Divine Bliss
Lines 3-4: “We contemplate at times the Holy Bliss / With which the Word of God is often fraught”
Here, the speaker reflects on moments of contemplating divine joy or spiritual fulfillment (“Holy Bliss”) that is often associated with the “Word of God”—suggesting religious or spiritual teachings.
3. The Difficult Path to Understanding
Lines 5-6: “The Word of the Abyss is hard to hear / We listen for the Holy Bliss we seek”
The poem then contrasts the difficulty of understanding or perceiving the “Word of the Abyss” with the more earnest and hopeful search for “Holy Bliss.” This suggests that the truth or messages from the Abyss (possibly representing existential or harsh truths) are challenging to accept.
4. The Proximity of the Abyss
Lines 7-8: “And thus we find Abyss is always near / And guides us through the Darknesses we speak”
The Abyss is portrayed as ever-present, subtly influencing and guiding human experiences, especially in times of “Darkness” or despair. The Abyss becomes a companion or guide through these challenging moments.
5. The Nature of Truth and Light
Lines 9-10: “There is no need of Light in Tales of Truth / There is no Truth in any Tales we tell”
The speaker questions the necessity of “Light” (often a symbol for understanding or enlightenment) in the pursuit of truth, suggesting that perhaps truth can exist in darkness or without clear illumination. Furthermore, there’s a nihilistic assertion that the stories we tell—possibly referring to religious or philosophical narratives—lack true substance.
6. The Commercialization of God
Lines 11-12: “And so we seek to linger in our youth / Where God is just a Word to buy or sell”
These lines suggest a critique of how, in youthful naivety or society’s materialism, God has been reduced to a mere commodity, something that can be “bought or sold” rather than a profound truth or presence.
7. Conclusion: The Triumph of the Abyss
Lines 13-14: “Come contemplate with me the Holy Bliss / The God whose Word succumbs to the Abyss.”
The final couplet invites the reader to join the speaker in contemplating the nature of “Holy Bliss” and the reality that even the Word of God ultimately “succumbs” to the Abyss. This suggests that no matter how divine or sacred, everything is eventually overtaken by the void or nothingness.
Overall Interpretation
The sonnet is a meditation on the existential struggle between faith and nihilism. It delves into the unsettling realization that the pursuit of spiritual or divine truth might lead to an encounter with emptiness rather than fulfillment. The poem challenges conventional notions of light and truth, ultimately suggesting that the Abyss—representing doubt, nothingness, or the harsh realities of existence—holds a powerful and inevitable influence over our lives and beliefs.
