Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Thread

Today my daughter handed me a poem by a poet new to me. The poem is beautiful and perfect for this time, just as she said it was. Again and again I am reminded that I am not alone, that my feelings are familiar and the same questions have been asked by so many before me ~

The Thread
by Denise Levertov

Something is very gently,
invisibly, silently,
pulling at me - a thread
or net of threads
finer than cobweb and as
elastic. I haven't tried
the strength of it. No barbed hook
pierced and tore me. Was it
not long ago this thread
began to draw me? Or
way back? Was I
born with its knot about my
neck, a bridle? Not fear
but a stirring
of wonder makes me
catch my breath when I feel
the tug of it when I thought
it had loosened itself and gone.

9 comments:

Janice Lynne Lundy said...

This is a wonderful poem, Sharon. It makes one pause. Wondering about what bridle might still be present and need loosening...xoxo

(I am glad you are thinking about my Buddha Chick course, I do think it would suit you. And, selfishly, I'd love to have your soulful presence there. We are going to have an amazing community of women. Wow!)

Laura said...

Beautiful sharing Sharon. Thank you. I'm with Jan...I hope you will join in the Buddha Chick circle too...I'm doin' it!

CaShThoMa said...

Very interesting poem, Sharon.
I'm pondering the symbolism of the wisps of thread being as strong as a bridle around the neck. I'm reading and re-reading the poem; there's a lot to think about here. Thanks for sharing.

teri said...

This poem is just out of reach and ever so clear. My mind almost understands it and then is slips away -like trying to catch the remnants of a dream. How wonderful of your daughter to share it with you-

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Sharon, I read your poem, then again and need to go back and copy.
It is a poem you do not read once but over and over and the meaning becomes more clear.
Thank you for your kind comments to me. Have a peaceful weekend.

Patti Lacy said...

Wow. LOVE the thread of community, the thread of faith, the thread of commitment.

Very cool, Sharon.

Patti

helen said...

I like the image of the "thread finer than cobweb."

While gardening yesterday I bumped into a cobweb strung about the fencing on one of my plants. No matter which way I tugged I became more entangled in the seemingly endless amount of "thread." Then it was gone…some drifted off in the wind, some settled on the ground, some remained on my gloves and tool.

This morning cobweb was gleaming in the sun--as voluminous as yesterday, strong, enduring. The tiny threads can be broken yet a thread remains, then grows and the net manifests itself again. The ever present ties that bind us to our past, our baggage, our authentic self, our reason for being?

mermaid said...

I think of the thread, the line running through and connecting us all. What a beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing.

Laura said...

Oh how I love what our sweet Mermaid friend said!!!