New Poetry by Earl Livings

Over

And there you have it,

each metaphor for life—

game, battle, meditation,

path of heart, soul making—

unravelling at the first sign

of your death bed.

Each one had merit,

as a bright jewel looked at

from each angle

hints at that deeper beauty

only a simultaneous view

might reveal. Yet each word

you use to describe those views,

and the darkness beneath them,

are never enough, and you shiver.

And so there you have it,

this enigma of being full

of life and not knowing it,

not knowing if you ever

fully displayed your jewel.

And maybe that is the true gift—

accepting the doubt

and hoping that before life

calls you to account,

a laugh, a scent, a touch

will summon you

to remember, to smile,

to give thanks for mystery,

this darkness blinking at you.

- © Earl Livings 2020

Earl Livings has published poetry and fiction in Australia and also Britain, Canada, the USA, and Germany. His work mainly focuses on nature, mythology and the sacred. His second poetry collection, Libation (Ginninderra Press) was published in 2018 and he is currently working on a dark ages novel and his next collection of poetry.