Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Oriole by the River











Image: origin unknown

The oriole chortling by the river
is so much more than simply a bird
glimpsed in the bush.

It is a never-again moment
witnessed,
and shared.

How can I not but feel split open?

I am an innocent,
but one who has willfully surrendered
my heart to Life’s intent to grow
each one of us into something
larger than the body can contain.

In saying - “Yes” - to whatever this is,
I have invited my own undoing.

Anything that has emerged from an
egg,
a seed,
a cocoon,
or a mother’s womb

knows the awe-full process of
breaking from confinement.

What pain.

What ecstasy.

Destiny lies in the way we view
the world when we first open our eyes.

We are so small in the context
of this big and bold and expansive
universe of possibility…

Question 1:

Will you succumb to fear,
crawling back into homespun captivity?

Or...

Question 2:

Will you choose to fully emerge,
embracing vulnerability as your savior?

I can’t help but wonder what that bird
thought when it first peered,
naked,
beyond the rim of its edgy nest cup.

Reflecting upon a moment
by a river,

I have such gratitude for its wings.

© 2012-2016/Jamie K. Reaser
From "Wild Life: New and Selected Poems" (www.hiraethpress.com) 

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4 comments:

  1. "How can I not but feel split open?" - "YES!" :) Beautiful as always... C

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  2. Love this. Love your imagery and powerful questions and wisdom. thank you!

    ReplyDelete