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Perhaps we have all seen him,
or her, at the fragile flicker of first light
with the workaday world still dim ....

We've side-glimpsed in peripheral sight
the shadow of coat-tails, the wave of a hand
the soft motion stirring the flight

of waking birds, who understand,
and in a soft-throated stirring of song
welcome the one from the land

where time is translucent, memories long,
in our souls and beyond the furthest sea
where hopes and fears thrive and throng ....

The wanderer knows these worlds. He or she
had voyaged from and through them, half-seen, half-perceived
has seen where all ends and begins to be,

has seen the perfect plans that, so we believed
could take us to that other, better shore
guilt cleansed away, uncertainty relieved.

Perhaps the Wanderer, we can't be sure,
is not human, is the passing bird, the stirring air,
something that never was and is forever more.

But we still know, beyond all senses, we are still aware
that, for a second, briefly, the wanderer was there.

I had to read it a couple of times in order to truly grasp its essence, but I have to say I am impressed. It feels as if the wanderer could tell, that not all of what exists is part of our realm, but rather that he could sense its environment by simply detaching himself from his essence.

Beautiful poem!

Your poem is well written (as usual), but I am having trouble interpreting the meaning of the "wanderer".

Hi, thanks both for kind words. I have to admit, @DATo, I was worried myself it sounded a bit pseudo, I was working on the figure of the 'wanderer' in Nordic and other mythologies. More broadly, the notion of something beyond and/or within ourselves, in a spiritual but not necessarily religious way. I think I may have to work at this one!

Lincolnshirelass wrote: ↑20 Feb 2018, 04:08 Hi, thanks both for kind words. I have to admit, @DATo, I was worried myself it sounded a bit pseudo, I was working on the figure of the 'wanderer' in Nordic and other mythologies. More broadly, the notion of something beyond and/or within ourselves, in a spiritual but not necessarily religious way. I think I may have to work at this one!

Thanks for the explanation. I'm beginning to see what you are shooting for. Human beings DO have a wandering spirit both intellectually and literally. I would not have known about the Nordic connection however.

Truly, I most admit that you are good in writing. I love this

From the beginning lines, I formed a picture of a wandering homeless man or woman. Then, your verses became metaphysical, as though referring to some abstractions, some thoughts. Then you coalesced to a physical object or a premise of something perennially present. Sometimes we want to enjoy that feel-good feeling of making our imagination soar on fancy-flights. This is in keeping with the poetess that you truly are.

Thanks, chaps! About the Nordic connection - Odin/Wotan is also known as 'The Wanderer' - indeed, in the third instalment of Wagner's 'Ring of the Nibelung' he is actually identified as the Wanderer.

Lincolnshirelass wrote: ↑21 Feb 2018, 05:09 Thanks, chaps! About the Nordic connection - Odin/Wotan is also known as 'The Wanderer' - indeed, in the third instalment of Wagner's 'Ring of the Nibelung' he is actually identified as the Wanderer.

Excellent! Now I get it. I was aware of the god Odin's importance in Nordic mythology, but I did not know that he was referred to as "the wanderer". This ties your poem up neatly with a bow. Thanks for the explanation.

A minor criticism: as you can see sometimes the reader does not know, as in my case, as a result of ignorance, the more subtle and less accessible elements of a poem or story. I find this a lot when I read Byron, Keats or Shelly. They often alluded to things in ancient Greek and Roman culture and history of which I was unaware. This was in vogue at the time they wrote. This makes the poem less meaningful unless the reader researches deeply to find the elusive meanings. At the time the poets above wrote people in England were getting a far more classical education so what they were writing was thus far more accessible to their readers.

Perhaps an invocation to Odin at the start of the poem, much like the Greek epics, would put the reader on the right path. I always try to be mindful as to whether or not what I am writing can be deciphered by the reader and if not I try to find a creative way to subtly interject a hint or two. Just a thought.

It's still a wonderful poem. My compliments!

Thanks for the suggestion @DATo - I will certainly try to incorporate it when appropriate.