Light in my eyes and time in my brain
Dreaming down the path toward the woods.
In the big moment before it takes flight
Flashing red, a bird becomes a word.
A stone in my boot reminds me.
Preferring an empty mind
I pause to remove it.
What should I say about this
To other minds in other bodies?
I would say that flashes of light
And moments of time
Birds on branches taking flight
Are not words.
They are something else entirely.
They are our lives
Real for a moment
Streaming trails of words in their wake.
*
What’s Real – Tullio – 2015
This poem is so powerful! for me, is a remind that the only real moment is now; not the past, not the future, but the present which is a gift in every moment in our life.
One of the reasons I like this poem so much is because of the vivid image it paints. I can almost imagine walking through these woods myself, and it gives me a peaceful feeling. The meaning of the poem is something different entirely. When you mention how birds “leave words behind” it reminds me that when we die, our words are some of the only things that we can leave behind, and that is a powerful message. This makes me think that leaving work behind, weather it is poetry or art, is important.