This is a poem of great joy – not exactly on my usual menu. The poetry I offer from the darker side does not mean at all that I don’t experience great joy, great contentment at this time in my life. Naturally, all our lives are a mixture of emotions. This poem expresses the joy of union, oneness. It can be applied to many situations and relationships: a spousal partnership, a parent and child, and on to the communion of the human and the divine. So, please allow this poem to open many doors and not just one that feels familiar.
Sounding
Once again
we sound the waters together
again
picking up our old song
until now sung alone and separated
reaching across swirling distances
Once again
in unison we sing
with greater depth and wider embrace
we sing
with both our voices – joys, fears, compassion
we sing
in the timeless, boundless, nonsense dance
we sing
for all to hear and resonate
from skin
to bone
to cell
to beyond
we sing of love
our song our song
our life we sing
Background
Despite my introduction to the poem with which I started this post, I will tell you where this poem originated. In 1996, Joe Stenzel and I entered our marriage. We wrote many messages and a few poems to one another during that period. You know the time: all is bright and beautiful and couples marvel at their good fortune and at each other. As our relationship deepened, this poem expanded to include community, the planet, and spirit, whatever name one chooses to call the divine. In parallel, we designed our wedding rings to reflect all this.
The rings start with one side of the infinity symbol – think an elongated figure eight. The two sides of this shape each run around the circle of the ring formation; however, before the sides begin their circular journey around the finger, they run through two small ovals that the two sides pass through. One oval represents family and friends; the other the wider community of the planet. We believe that the way to the spiritual aspect of existence is bound both within and around those two important factors. The circular sides emanating from the half-infinity starting point, come all the way around the finger and clasp the other side of the infinity symbol, coming, as it were, full circle – a unification of all the parts. Granted, explaining the design of the rings is much harder than showing them. Hopefully, I have done them justice, and when we meet, you will have a look at our creation.
Exploration 1: Why would a couple design their own rings rather than purchase them in a jewelry store? Is the effort worth it?
Exploration 2: What could the meaning be of a half of the infinity symbol?
Exploration 3: Why is there so much singing going on in the poem?
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