sculpture by: Rose “Bean” Simpson
in this earthen abode
the voices of your elders
rose with the night fire
a sacred chant in rich voice
as the flames roared
and they danced
a hallowed blaze
of enlightenment
warming you
with the knowledge
of the ancestors
but the footsteps
are but echos
while the sacred fire
is dying
its embers
now near ashen
but still the heart’s aglow
in a world out of balance
who will again stir to flame
their smoldering wisdom
and dance the steps of knowledge
~ ~ ~
rob kistner © 2019
I enjoyed this .
Thank you, I am pleased you did ZQ. Thank you for visiting and commenting… 🙂
Time for the elders to teach us, for they know how to live with Mother Earth. I loved this, Rob. Chants around the sacred fire………so lovely.
Pleased you liked this Sherry. It always chaps my ass when I hear people call the first people primitive or superstitious, or in someway less than modern folk. If we had their wisdom with regard to living in balance with this world, this planet would not be in this current crisis. Pray for the wisdom of tgese Ancients!
Who indeed will tend the fires and stir hearts?
Somebody sure as hell better start stirring like a son-of-a-bitch Truedessa, beacause this old world is a damned mess right now!
I so agree, we need fire watchers, singers and dancers to shift the world vibrational energy. We also need dreamers, teachers and healers.
Maybe they will arise from my grandson’s generation. He is 5-years-old, so I hope we don’t totally fuck it up before then.
The knowledge of the ancestors has to be respected. May those sacred fires somehow keep burning!
Yes it certainly should be. But we modern humans are just too damned smart- or so we think as we slowly kill the planet and each other…
An impactfully rendered piece. Wonderful writing.
Alas, we may have begun looking for those wise ancients, too late – though your closing question is indelible, powerfully pertinent and important – and in great need of being asked … and answered.
Thank you Wendy! I can’t allow myself to believe it’s too late. I have a 5-year-old grandson, and I can’t allow us to leave him a pile of shit for an earth. We need to get “Trump-asaurus Mess”, and all of his horrid cronies out of office – and make America sane again!
Good questions. We need some sacred moves and fiery wisdom of the eons more than ever.
Well right now Colleen, this country is in the hands of some heartless, soulless, greedy, hypocrtical zombies, so the first move is to run all those monsters out of office, then out of the country – then start over with realistic attitudes toward the critical need of solutions to the mess we have ourselves in. It won’t be easy, but I have a 5-year-old grandson who is going to inherit this future we’re creating, and I am going to do everything I can at 72 to see that the future is not the nightmare to which it’s headed right now.
The last stanza reminds me of the mythical phoenix. Surely the fire bird hidden in some great hearts will rise one day. A lovely poem.
I sure as hell gotta believe there are truly good people coming in the next generation Sumana, because we have NO LEADERS of integrity or intelligence here in the USA right now – at least none I see. There are very few in the world. The US is currently in the hands of greedy, sociopathic, criminal morons.
Wisdom & knowledge? Oh, how we need both but the signs are not good.
It is in our power to make the signs great JCos! We must first eliminate the greedy ruthless sociopathic megalomaniacs who are driving this country to destruction. And not just the Trumpsterfire but his enrire Republican organized criminals. We get that done then we can reach a neutral point to restart. If that doesn’t work we’ll try abit of strategic anarchy!
on the poem: feet & fire crackles – the sounds resonate and fade in your poem so well. You have used ‘dieing’ and I wondered in you meant ‘dying’ – on the other hand, it has a reinforcing implication that ‘the die is cast’
on the message : football and politics is a distraction – like Rollerball. According to the bible and de Maistre we get the leaders we deserve – and how many of us have truly denied themselves the gifts of capitalism and not sought the security of health and longevity – and in all this there is our tendency to go forth and multiply. ‘Soiling Green is people’ – to requote a quote from that dystopian movie – yet the elephant stays in the room.
Sound was keep, as was the warmth of thr fire and the sound of the feet. That was a living scene Laura. Dying was what I meant. If you begin to read me you will discover I have way too much faith in my “spell check” because ..I move only one direction, straight ahead, high speed- no back tracking. If it starts mispelled it stays mispelled. The ideal sport for the world is soccer. It a thinking sport, with great strategy, impecable perseverance, much military maneuvering, a requires top condition players, and men and women of all size can play. And when played right, it is beautiful and rough! We get the leaders, not that we deserve, but the leaders who cheat and intimidate – but these type leaders fuck up, and are also the leaders who will be destroyed in the anarchy! And its Soylent Green Laura – people are Soylent Green. Republicans would make excellent Soylent Green, they are soft and chewy. We will find leaders with wisdom and knowlege because they are the ones who will be clever enough to survive when anarchy breaks out!
It is not just the USA, there are a real dearth of good intelligent, generous people all over the world. … A serious issue depicted so beautifully. A very well written poem.
Yes, Baishali real issues with the wisdom integrity and intelligence of our leaders world wide, But strategic anarchy is coning. A lot of things will be sorted quickly in the next couple years,
I think what’s lacking today is the time spent at thinking… there has to be a balance, compromise not battles….
but I’m sure that we only remember of lessons learned, never mistakes…
Well Bjorn, I hope we suyive the pending mistakes so thare can be a lesson learned…
I love the way you have related the wisdom of the ancients to earth and fire, Rob: the ‘earthen abode’, the night fire, with its dancing flames, the echoing footsteps – an elemental poem.
Love your perspective here Kim, and I am pleased you liked this poem… 🙂
I hope we do not forget legacy, ancient wisdom and experiential knowledge of our ancestors!
Your last stanza reminds me of the Phoenix that rises from the ashes…
I am sure it will happen if we all work together for that future.
We must find cooperation and restraint in this world Kislaya, or “we” may not be any longer…
The ancients have so much wisdom to share but too few listen. Nicely written
Yes KB, we could learn from the ancients. Their example of living in balance with nature and their deep respect for the earth, are things we should emulate in our modern world. Unfortunately, the human race’s fascination with and addiction to technology has made us so arrogant we can’t see past the sperstitions of the ancients to see their innate wisdom regarding our relationship with Gaia (mother earth). We even refuse to acknowledge that we are seriously endangering the planet.