Sunday, December 27, 2009

Into Egypt




















From birth

We are displaced,

On rocky paths,

Seeking asylum

In melancholy landscapes,

Giving up on innocence

And on our thrones;

Our arms are full of myrrh

As we move forward

Into Egypt.


This poem was inspired by the ReadWritePoem picture/prompt. I don't know why it made me think of the flight into Egypt; perhaps it was the season or the homily I heard on Sunday, but here you have it.

37 comments:

  1. Karen- I really like where this took me, but somehow we always screw things up before we get to Egypt. Why is that? ~rick

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  2. A beautiful meditation on the Flight into Egypt!

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  3. This shines with simple truth. Maybe it's always the walk, not the arrival.

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  4. RNSANE - Thanks, Carmen.

    Rick - Yep, even with angels guiding us, we go astray. Only human, I guess! ;-)

    John - Thanks. This could have been about His trip (take out the pronouns), but I thought we are all on the flight, moving farther and farther from our own innocence. Thanks.

    Jason - I think it is the journey, always seeking safety. Thanks.

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  5. It is the myrrh that soothes the pains of the journey. That we carry it within is the balm that allows us to see a way forward.

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  6. "Our arms are full of myrrh as we move forward into Egypt."
    What a powerful vision. I read this on Monday morning with the sun cresting the eastern hill and shining in my eyes. It's beautiful: your poem, and the sun.

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  7. I read the other comments and got *some* light on the poem, but I do think I'm still missing a clue to get the meaning of Egypt here.
    I'm sorry :(

    anyway, I read it with delight :)

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  8. TWM - Thanks for that comment, Mark. You are so right.

    Chris - Somehow, the beckoning sun feels like an integral part of the journey. Thanks.

    SzelsoFa - I feel tempted to tell you what I meant, but then it wouldn't be your poem; it would be mine. I'm not trying to be obscure here; it means whatever you think it means!

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  9. We all have our rocky paths to cross on our journey of life. But as long as we don't lose sight of our purpose (our Egypt) we'll reach our destination.

    A beautiful poem Karen.

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  10. I wander without a goal in sight...

    At least now, I am beginning to enjoy the journey!

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  11. thank you Karen, and I think you are just right by not forcing your special approach on others.
    I think a poem means one thing to the writer, and another what it tells to the readers. another meaning to each and one of every reader I guess. and the best part is that all
    enjoy it :)

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  12. Absolutely wonderful. Myrrh is such an important part of the journey and helps ease the sorrow. I love that the arms are full of myrrh. Beautiful poem, Karen!

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  13. Very nice! I'm always fascinated by the oral tradition of those years in Egypt... there's a whole branch of Christianity that stems from it. The "arms full of myrrh" line is my favorite, probably. :)

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  14. Haunting and lovely. I love the myrrh aspect. We could use a little myrrh to salve the world's problems right about now. Beautiful.

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  15. Margaret - Thanks. Remembering there is an Egypt just keeps us going!

    Ani - Hope you're on a very good path. Enjoy!

    SzelsoFa - Once the poem is released from the author, it belongs to the reader. His or her truth is as real as the poets. :-)

    Julie - Thank you, dear friend.

    Joseph - I love imagining the parts of the story I don't know. I wanted to work in the palms bowing down, but that would have changed the whole mood of the poem. Thanks.

    Cat - I think we're all looking for that balm.

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  16. Loved it. My favourite to date. Have a great new year.

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  17. Jeeves - Thank you.

    Rhett - Welcome, and thanks, I think. :-)

    Dave - You know just how to make an old gal smile. Thanks, and Happy New Year to you, too!

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  18. How beautiful, Karen... Thank you!

    Happy New Year, to you and yours!

    xoxoxo

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  19. Stunning. I will never tire of this photo or the resulting poetry. THANK YOU!

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  20. There is a happy reassurance to your poem that we are on a journey moving forward. Thank you for including imagery that can be interpreted in the light of our own experiences. Happy New Year Karen, and may the coming months be filled with promise and love!

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  21. Loss of innocence,flight and myrrh.How beautiful!

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  22. Beautiful, Karen!

    Nice, concise rendering of another part of this season's story, which opens up for everyone to identify with the displaced.

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  23. The journey is always toward safety and paradise, I think. I so enjoyed your words in this piece!

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  24. Quite lovely, in word and sentiment.

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  25. So moving. The last 3 lines gave me chills. Thanks for this.

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  26. Well, it may only be me, but I liked the word-play that was possible with "Our arms are full of myrrh". Reading it aloud, I thought "Our arms are full of mirth".

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  27. Vesper - Thank you, dear Vesper! Happy New Year to you and your family, too.

    Julie - Thanks! I am amazed by the range of responses to this, too. It's a great prompt.

    Linda - I really struggled with whether or not this should be "we" or "I", but in the end, I thought if I made it more universal, we could all apply our own meanings more readily. Thanks for your comments.

    rallentanda - Thanks!

    Paul - Thank you. I think we forget about this part of the story and how difficult it must have been to make that trip.

    Tumblewords - Unfortunately, we often move further and further from paradise, but if we recognize that, then the journey is one of attempting to redeem that state. Thanks for making me think about that with your comment.

    Cynthia - Thank you!

    Erin - Thank you for that comment!

    makeda42 - I hadn't thought of that - mirth would be a much, much better state that "full of myrrh!"

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  28. nicely done Karen....like where you went with this....great photos out your bacjk door allso.....looks like out back/front door view also.....cheers

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  29. Karen...how do you put your photos on the side of the blog like that?

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  30. Wayne - Thanks. The darker pictures are of the right side view and the sunny ones are of the left - both of my back yard. It easy to add them. Just go to "layout" and click on "add a gadget". That will open a window where you pick the gadget to add. Choose "add a picture". It will then instruct you to either browse on your own computer or get a picture from the Internet. You can move the pictures around on your blog with the layout view and preview them. If I can do it, anybody can.

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  31. From birth

    We are displaced,

    On rocky paths,

    Seeking asylum

    Yes, always seeking - out of the cradle, endlessly rocking.

    Perfect.

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  32. Simple and elegant. There is definitely a visual quality to the light that might put one in the mind of the Star of Bethlehem, and I like how the poem connects with the holiday season.

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  33. sorry i'm late. catching up. :)

    i really like this too, but i think it hit me different. the flight into egypt being an escape, and myrrh being emblematic of burial - i guess it felt like a tolling of sorts - as we run to gain a little time, we always carry that reminder of our mortality. it may be just me and the moment i read it - but i felt the fear of that flight, when the magi and angels are gone and only shadows and faith are left. anyway - that's where the light shone for me.

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  34. K - Endlessly. I know you recognize that.

    Francis - Thank you!

    joaquin - You have honed in on exactly my mood in the writing - myrrh not as a balm, but rather as part of the embalming, the death we carry within us, and the seeking of Egypt - endlessly seeking - for some sort of protection, shelter, escape - is a long and frightening journey. Nothing about this poem was uplifting for me, only bleak. (Man, I hate my own points of view sometimes!) :-)

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